World of Remnant: Online
by VideoGameNut
Summary: The name of the game was World of Remnant: Online. The greatest work of a man named Monty Oum. A Magnum Opus that left a mark upon the world. But it's long time is ending now, and one player, Joshua Bridger, logs in one last time for the sake of beloved memories. Only to discover it's not just a game anymore. Psuedo elements of 'The Gamer' Webcomic.
1. Not a Game Anymore

Chapter 1

 **Not a Game Anymore**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ / **Hello** – Emphasis

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

The year was 2297. An age where advanced technology touched all aspects of modern day life. An era of marvels that would have earlier generations in awe of the impossibilities that so casually surrounded them, yet were now so common that they rarely gained so much as a backward glance.

It was also an age of division. Defined by a class divide so wide and deep that it was all but unassailable. People born into wealth held the wealth, enjoying all the fruits of opulence that their station could grant them. People born poor were left living in squalor, living practically hand to mouth, day by day.

Oh, there was the rare individual who managed to break the status quo. That lucky person who managed to do the impossible and somehow _work_ their way into wealth. Rarely championed, these people generally tended to be pariahs to both sides. The inherently rich looked down on them, considering them their lessers due to not being born into money. While the poor could only see them through green tinted lenses, people who abandoned them to poverty while they lived in luxury.

That's why, in his own rise to prominence, the man named Monyreak 'Monty' Oum, became such an enigma.

Unlike those who had set the standard for breaking the divide between rich and poor, he seemed to retain all the affability and down to earth nature that helped make him so popular at home. Starting out as an amateur animation artist, he made a living by selling his own personally made products to those who could afford them. Never pushy and always sealing the deal with a smile, he became popular for his attitude as much as his animation work, which quickly grew in popularity by word of mouth.

Over time, he gained enough capital to begin larger projects, his profits increasing with every innovation. Eventually, he became wealthy enough to fund his own animation studio, branching off into gaming and software design to create Monyreak Media Enterprises (MME). Wealthy, successful, and nowhere to go but up, things were looking brighter for the programmer than ever before. But with the new business flowing in, Monty quickly found himself wanting something more.

Not more profit or recognition, he wanted two things of a more personal nature. First of all, he wanted a _gateway_. For even as his wealth grew, as he became better off, he never forgot where he came from or the people who just weren't as lucky. He wanted something that could help them to get that chance. Something that could inspire them. Something to help them find that will and opportunity to push the envelope of their lives. To live better, happier.

Second, he wanted a _legacy_. Something to leave behind that would be a monument of ingenuity and imagination. An achievement that would go down in history and leave a mark on the world and the people within it.

Who would've expected he'd gain the inspiration for that idea from some ketchup spilling on his napkin?

And in that one moment, with a flash of imagination brought about by a dirty napkin, RWBY was born.

And how did this idea manifest? Why, it took form as a game. A VR-MMORGP. The most singularly _immersive and living_ MMO ever made to date.

Due to the many advents in Virtual Reality technology and Video Game development, MMO's were more advanced and famous than ever before. More alive and realistic than ever before.

So, what did Monty do to make his idea stand out? _He pushed the envelope even further than ever before_!

Under the development name; 'Project: RWBY', Monty personally involved himself in the development, guiding the staff every step of the way. Whether it was AI programming, level design, character design or anything else, he was always there for every step of the way. Hell, he often participated in the work himself, making sure it would all be perfect. He'd accept no less.

So, after a long time of development, the fruit of all the work was finished and released to the world on 1/3/2197. A revolutionary new VR-MMORPG named, 'World of Remnant: Online'.

A truly _living_ world, brought about by the finest in AI programming and a procedurally generated world environment, altered in ways big and small by players and NPC's alike. A world that started as a blank slate, held in development until it was deemed evolved enough for people to play.

A virtual world that was as alive and unpredictable and amazing as the real thing. A virtual world that was also a _real_ world.

A world with that also had a heaping dose of excitement, danger, and amazing customizable powers for every PC.

 _And it was all free_!

With Monty paying the expenses for the game's upkeep out of his own pocket, price was no obstacle for whoever wanted to play. After only a few weeks in circulation, millions of people around the world were playing the game. Living out their own legends and fantasies, playing heroes and villains, leading gangs or making towns or even waging wars to found their own kingdoms. The quests were connected to the status of the living world itself; born, disappearing, altering and being generated by NPC's and PC's alike, there was literally no limit to what the players or NPC's could do within the confines of the game world. Wanted to be a fisherman? Do it. Assassin? Pull it off. A CEO? Make it happen. A Hero? No problem. A King? Look at everything else and say it doesn't look possible. Nothing was impossible, no goal or ambition too far. Hell, the content of resources, the environment, NPC's, quests, everything in the game was almost completely procedurally generated by the game world itself.

After a while, it became evident that it was impossible even for the developers to predict the actions of the entities in-game and how they could change the world around them. It was for this reason that nobody was ever able to write out a strategy guide for it. How could you write a strategy guide for a game that was as alive and varied as real life?

In only a few years after release, every one out of ten people in the world's known population was an avid player of the game. Connecting people from around the world, in a game where its virtual resources became almost as valuable as the real thing. An in-game market made by the players where anything from real estate, to resources, to businesses and even other PC characters were traded among the players for real world currency. The game itself had become an industry. A world that helped the poor to climb out of poverty with new opportunities, causing the line between rich and poor to slowly shrink. Eventually, Monty was forced to put a small price on playing the game, just to keep it running. Regardless, its popularity and potency seemed to only go up, increasing in players until a full ¼ of the Human population was playing.

This was Monty's Magnum Opus. His crowning achievement.

So you could only imagine the tragedy when he died. Age 72, forty years after the release of the game.

Without Monty's spirit to keep his staff and company going, everything began to slow down. Seeing an opportunity, rival companies descended like hungry vultures, snapping up the assets of the former juggernaut. Monty's friends and associates pushed hard to keep the company going, to keep his great achievement alive. But they merely managed to stave off the inevitable as other Corporations gradually bought up all the assets of MME over a period of decades. Eventually, they even bought off the rights to the game and planned to dismantle it, using the shell of what it used to be in order to make a new source of profits. The game that practically changed the world overnight, would be shut down after a long and hopeful runtime of 100 years.

It was with this knowledge in mind, on 2/2/2297, that a man named Joshua Bridger walked into his home. A tall man of 6'2, his height was the only really noteworthy thing about him. His eyes were the same medium brown as his hair. It was slightly unkempt, a few stray hairs refusing to stay down, with the back of it going down to the nape of his neck.

Not too handsome, but not ugly either, that would describe his features well. Slightly chiseled but blunt features, a straightforward look. His wardrobe consisted of a dark blue T-Shirt under a black hoodie, blue jeans, and finishing it all off with a pair of grey sneakers.

"Dammit," he muttered, low and under his breath.

He was also coming home in a very depressed mood.

Moving past the open doorway into his apartment and shutting the door behind him, Joshua took a long look at the room he'd entered. The living room wasn't particularly spacious, the rest of the apartment wasn't much better, but it was all he could afford.

Flipping a light-switch, the room brightened up to show a slightly dingy apartment. He had little furniture in the room, mostly just a worn leather couch he'd got on sale, a table in front of it, and a TV attached to the wall. He had a small collection of chairs and stools of various different materials, mostly plastic or fiber-wood. Real wood was generally too expensive.

Moving into the small kitchen, Joshua quickly rummaged through the fridge for something to eat. Pulling out the leftovers of some orange chicken from last night, he heated it up and sat down on the sofa to eat with some TV for some background noise.

He regretted turning the TV on the moment he hit the news.

"And in recent news, former entertainment juggernaut Monyreak Media Enterprises is slated for dissolution on the date of June 7th of this year. We're going live to Thomas Hargrave, a professor of corporate-economics, for what he expects to result from this news. Thomas?"

As Joshua's face twisted into a grimace, the scene flashed to a man who looked in his fifties with graying black hair, shooting one of those fake smiles you always saw on the news. "Thanks, Margaret. Now, in all honesty, I really don't expect things to go well at this point. Monyreak Media Enterprises wasn't the largest company, but it still had a dominating presence in their own industrial niche. With their dissolution, a great many people will be out of a job. More importantly though, is how the company's destruction will mean the end of 'World of Remnant: Online'. What started out as a game has become a way of life for a great many people. You could even say that it has its own economy at this point, trading real life currency for commodities and resources in the game world itself. While it's loss will be keenly felt by those heavily invested in the game itself, the full economic implications are far from condemning. Back to you Mar-"

 _CRASH!_

For a moment, Joshua just stared at the screen. The now _broken_ screen. The broken screen that now had the shattered remains of his diner plate scattered in and around it.

He sighed. "Well, there goes dinner."

Really, he couldn't help it. Today…. hell, the whole damn _week_ had been just one letdown after another. First his rent went up, then he lost his job, then he ended up losing his credit card and lost most of his bank and checking accounts before he could shut down the card… and now _this_.

The loss of something as large as 'World of Remnant: Online' was bound to hit certain people hard. Unfortunately for Joshua, it hit him harder than most.

That Thomas guy hadn't been kidding when he said the game was an economy unto itself. Many fortunes and livelihoods were made and improved on by it. Lots of people with low paying jobs relied on the transactions in the game to make extra money. To make a better living.

And he was one of them. Joshua Bridger was one of the many people whose larger income depended on transactions made within the game world. With it gone, he'd practically be back at square one. Just some other faceless nobody with no chance to move up. And it all happened just when things could've started getting better.

"Fuck it all."

Joshua turned off the TV and slowly rose up from the couch, then turned and walked down the small hallway to his bedroom, leaving behind the shattered plate and left over food for tomorrow. He wasn't really in any rush for anything, not with his situation or his mood.

Compared to his living room, Joshua's bedroom was noticeably more furnished. With a queen sized bead to the wall underneath a window, a small drawer table beside it, a comfortable chair and another TV, he spent more of his personal time in here than he ever did in the living room.

Why? Because his Full-Dive was set up in here. Right on the desk by the foot of the bed.

The Full-Dive was the most up to date VR-MMORPG console available on the market, equipped with all the software and devices necessary to play the complete experience of the available games. The original and unmodified model could cost up to $700. A fully modified custom model could have a cost somewhere in the thousands.

Of course, the costs for the full experience were a lot lower when you knew how to make the parts and modifications yourself. Granted, Joshua hadn't exactly done a perfect job with the looks, but it still worked perfectly. After all, he'd been working with electronics since he could hold a screwdriver in his hand and taking electronics apart just as early.

Illegal? Yes. Worth it? Big time.

And soon, all that work would be for practically nothing. 'World of Remnant: Online' was the only VR-MMORPG he had. The only one he'd ever considered worth the time and work to buy this console and upgrade it for.

For a few minutes, he just stood there in front of his Full-Dive, reminiscing. He'd had some good times, running around the virtual world and living out so many of his childhood fantasies. After all, what child ever grew up without dreaming of being a superhero? In that world you could really live it out. For however many people played it for money, there was always people who just played it for fun. And he'd played for both sides of that fence, for money and fun in equal measure.

So many memories, and the source of them all would be vanishing at midnight.

"I wonder," he whispered, looking up at the clock on the wall to check the time. 11:00 in the afternoon. Just one hour till midnight.

Was it enough?

"….Ah, hell," he breathed out, chuckling. Since when did he get so sentimental? "What have I gotta lose from one more hour?"

And with those words out of his mouth, Joshua Bridger walked over to his desk and took a seat in the chair. Putting on the helmet, gauntlets, leggings and other equipment, he turned it on and literally dived right in.

It was always a weird sensation, feeling his senses slowly fade until his mind woke up in an endless blue plain, surrounded by a number of icons for the games and functions. Turning around until he found the icon for the game he was looking for, he tapped it once with a virtual finger and he began feeling a sense of vertigo and the scene around him change into a tunnel of flowing light. Don't ask him how the sensation of vertigo was possible in virtual reality, it's just what it felt like when he was being rushed through cyberspace to the next server.

It was only a moment before the transition was complete and he arrived at the Title screen for 'World of Remnant: Online', high above the skies of the world and looking down at the geography of the world below.

He briefly wondered if Monty made this kind of game introduction so awesome on purpose, but he quickly discarded the thought. _Of course_ he did it for the awesome factor, that was just his style.

Looking at the options arrayed on his visual HUD, Joshua pondered over what to do next. His decision to play the game one last time was a spur of the moment thing, he wasn't entirely sure what to do right now.

He had six characters to choose from, each with varying levels, backstories, races, skills and countless other details. Really, the character creation system in this game was beyond amazing.

Taking a moment to look at the characters he'd made over the years, he thought of taking one of them for one last run. A little time to relive those old days. But that didn't quite sit right with him. He wanted to try something else.

With that thought in mind, he decided to make a new character entirely.

Instead of spending hours of time customizing the perfect look for his avatar, he just decided to go with 'Personal'. An option that took information of his body and appearance that was uploaded from his Full-Dive.

He smiled in his new body as it was formed up from code. "Hello, me."

Likewise, instead of spending time coming up with an alias, he just put his real name down for his new avatar. What? It wasn't like anybody was gonna get on his case about it now, right? The game was gonna be shut down soon.

After that, though, things became a little more intricate. When the game first came out, Monty hadn't been kidding when he said it would be immersive like no other game ever before. There were _so many_ options on how to describe the character more deeply. Backstory, family, goals, hometown, even your birthday and age of choice, it's like you were making a real life profile.

He just breezed through most of the backstory stuff, only taking a moment to set his age at 17, then just designated his spawning point and hometown. Choosing the city of Silberlicht in the Kingdom of Atlas, he braced himself for landing.

One thing about making a new character in the game? Once you were done, your new avatar spent a short time literally falling down to Remnant like a damn meteor. He remembered hearing some other player raising a stink about it because it was too scary for new gamers or people scared of height and falling.

Wusses, all of them.

Fortunately, Joshua had plenty of experience with this part. In fact, he rather enjoyed it, diving down headfirst through the atmosphere as light consumed his vision. Picking up speed every second of his fall as the world below grew ever closer.

Then he blacked out for a few seconds before waking up outside a building in his hometown, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of NPC's, bundled up in heavy clothing to block off the cold.

The town of Silberlicht was yet another example of the sheer immersion of the world. It started out as nothing more than a craggy stretch of land at the foot of the nearby Mt. Grau, but then a group of exploring PC's discovered several huge veins of silver near the mountain's base. Word quickly spread of the wealth to be found beneath the ground, and soon PC's and NPC's alike came to make a profit off the precious metal.

In time, in-game companies and profiteers moved in to buy up the land, turning it from wilderness to a boom town, to a large town verging on a small city.

This gradual change happened over a period of twenty years of real world and game world time, back when he was just 4 years old. Just another example of how truly incredible the world was.

As he stood there, a bit of melancholy crossing his face, Joshua couldn't help but feel some nostalgia wash over him. He felt like some newbie again, jumping into this whole new world for the first time all over again.

It was almost enough to make him cry. _Almost_.

Checking the time, he realized he only had around 15 minutes left until shutdown.

Reminiscing over, he walked off to take a stroll around the town, just one more time.

It was a cold time of year up in Atlas. Then again, it was pretty much _always_ a cold time of year in Atlas. The chilly wind of winter was breezing through town as snow gently fell from above, forming piles that had since been moved off the roads in large piles and mounds. Everywhere he looked, there was icicles hanging down from the edges of roofs and streetlights.

Frankly, he kinda felt like he was stuck inside a Christmas snow globe.

Walking by without any real destination in mind, he continued to admire the scenery around him, letting it all sink in.

After all, he only had one more chance to experience this world in all its glory.

Sadly, the time really seemed to fly for him. He hadn't even gotten a single quest before he barely had one minute of time left.

Taking a seat on a bench at the side of the tiled road, Joshua leaned back and watched the people walk by. Watched the snow fall and collect of the roofs and branches of the few scattered trees he could see along the street.

Watched the timer count down the seconds.

11:59:40

11:59:41

11:59:42

11:59:43

11:59:44

11:59:45

Did he regret coming back? Did he regret logging in with a green character in the last moments of the game?

11:59:46

11:59:47

11:50:48

11:59:49

11:59:50

No. He didn't regret it. Not at all.

11:59:51

11:59:52

11:59:53

11:59:54

11:59:55

He just wished he could've had a little more time.

11:59:56

Just a few more minutes to let the beauty of this whole world to sink in.

11:59:57

After all, this was Monty's greatest work. His crowning achievement. His Magnum Opus.

11:59:58

And most of all. He had so many good memories here. He had so much fun.

11:59:59

"Yeah," he whispered, the words seeming to come out of their own accord. "It was fun."

12:00:00

.

.

12:00:01

He blinked. "What the fuck?"


	2. One Step at a Time

Chapter 2

 **One Step at a Time**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

 **Hello –** Game Text/Game Options/Skills

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

Okay. Thirty minutes had passed since the designated shutdown time at midnight. Thirty minutes had passed since, _for some reason_ , the game turned out to still be running.

Thirty minutes since he had a silent panic attack over what the hell was going on. Key word, _silent_! He absolutely didn't start shivering on the bench at the side of the street, muttering "What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck".

That was his story and he was sticking to it. Convincing?

Still, at least now he'd calmed down enough to do a little experimenting. At the time, he still wasn't sure what was really going on. So of course he needed to test some things.

One test was out of the way the moment he calmed down a little.

He was shivering.

That might seem pretty small, all things considered, but it proved he was actually _feeling_ the cold of his surroundings. He could even feel the clothing on his body and taste the snowflakes as he stuck his tongue out to catch one.

So, that meant touch and taste were working. What about the other three?

Well, he heard all the talking and moving from the people around him, so his sense of hearing was definitely working. Likewise, he could also catch the scents around him.

Sight was pretty much a no brainer, simply because he wasn't blind right now.

His senses, more than anything, told him that the world around him was real. Despite all the advancements in VR technology, a full and complete replication of the senses was generally regarded as impossible. Even Monty hadn't found a way to circumvent that.

In other words, Joshua knew the world around him was _real_ , because his senses _told him_ it was real.

So why was his HUD still working? Was it working as his Semblance? No, that couldn't be right. The game didn't have much in the way of _hard_ rules for how world and gameplay mechanics worked, but the few it had were beyond anything that a character could break.

One of them was that your Semblance started developing _after_ you awakened your Aura, not before. And Joshua's Aura was still locked.

But if this HUD wasn't his Semblance, why was it even still visible? Unless…..

Joshua whispered, "Menu", and in a split second the screen appeared.

Interesting. So even though he'd been transported to some world where the game was real, some of the game mechanics actually came with him. Well, at least that might be useful.

Scrolling through the information he could get from his Inventory and Character Info pages of the menu, came out of the event a little calmer and much better informed.

Anyway, with his little panic attack outta the way and his experiments done, Joshua's primary concern was finding out what to do in order to salvage his current situation. The question was; how can you improve on your situation when you suddenly found out you were now living in a game?

Looking back on things, maybe he should've actually filled in all the backstory and history information for his new avatar. That would make _some_ things a little easier, at least.

How so? Simple. Because at least it would've given him an ID. It was one of the features Monty insisted on putting in the finished product. A special touch that helped to solidify an identity in the game. Choosing whether or not to go through with it was just one of the many available options. Giving your new character a history went a long way towards determining _how_ they started out, in addition to simply _where_.

So, right now, Joshua Bridger was essentially just some nonexistent vagrant. A literal nobody. He had no bank accounts, no lien in his pockets, no house or apartment and especially no identification or citizenship!

And to top it all off, he was a Lvl. 1 green as grass new avatar with _NO_ combat ability.

One thing made clear in the backstory of the game world, was that Remnant was definitely _not_ a safe place to live in. Awesome and filled with adventure? Oh, no doubt. Safe? Not in your wildest dreams. With the Grimm, terrorists, criminals, and of course some of the more depraved players, the original game was nowhere near what somebody would call safe.

However he wanted to say it, Joshua needed to bulk up. Ne needed more levels, better stats, better equipment, and especially a place to stay. You might not have gotten exhausted in the game, but this was real now, and he'd eventually need to get some sleep.

First thing's first, though. He needed to get to the library.

oOoOoOoOo 15 minutes later oOoOoOoOo

"Holy crap, that's a lotta books."

Joshua barely heard the light 'shhhh' from the librarian at the desk, just staring around the inside of the rather large building. It had a total of three floors, connected by a flight of stairs on the left and right sides of the room. The flooring and furniture almost entirely consisted of wood, with a number of desks and comfortable chairs available for use to any visitors. There was even a large fireplace far in the back, large as a small truck, used to heat the building. All in all, it looked very similar to those cushy and high society kinds of libraries you imagined at a major university, like Oxford over in Britain.

And, true to form, there was enough books around him to leave his head spinning. Could he even find what he wanted here?

Shaking off the surprise, Joshua walked over to the receptionist, a middle aged man in a tan suit with blonde hair, his nametag identifying him as 'Mr. Banning'. The man looked up and flashed him a well-practiced smile. "Evening, sir. Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes, actually. I was wondering if you have any books on Aura and its nature. I need to do some research on the subject for a project I'm doing."

It was a story he made up on his way over. Simple and to the point, probably something this guy had heard more times than he could count. More importantly, it wasn't something he could actually check even if he wanted to. There was _always_ a school project going on, and if there was one there would be much more.

"Just a second," Mr. Banning answered, typing on his computer for a bit. "Aura, Aura, Aura. Got it. You'll find a section with the most books on the subject on the second floor. Go up the right staircase and you'll it'll be the third section to your right. Is that all?"

"Yes. Thanks. Have a nice day."

"You too, sir."

Turning away from the receptionist, Joshua walked over to the indicated staircase and headed up. He did his best not to rush, he didn't want to draw any attention. If he was acting suspicious in some way, somebody might call the police and he could get into trouble. If he took time in the Character Creation process to give himself an extensive history and background, he wouldn't need to worry too much about the police or some extra attention. But seeing that he didn't bother with that, he didn't spawn in the world with any form of personal identification or citizenship, meaning he could essentially be arrested on the grounds of his status as an illegal alien. Not to mention the possibility of deportation.

So he casually climbed up the stairs to the second floor and headed to his destination, hoping he'd find something useful.

Because Aura was the whole reason for him to come her to the library at all. Hell, he came here to find any Skill Books in general.

In the actual game, there was any number of ways for somebody to gain Skills. Quests, Skill Books, even just going out into the world to get them the old fashioned way.

Two of those options weren't really available for him right now, because of his new and weak avatar. He was just too fragile to go out in the world and start picking fights with anyone, he'd probably end up a smear on the wall if a strong enough enemy so much as glared at him. Same thing for Quests, since most of them required fighting in some way and he didn't have the resources for significant Quests that could give him any skills.

That left Skill Books, and finding one on Aura was paramount right now. Just unlocking your Aura opened a whole slew of options regarding combat potential, not to mention boosting you survivability by essentially giving you a second HP bar. Needless to say, that gave it a spot at the top of his to-do list. If he wanted any money for living expenses like food or shelter, he'd need to either go Questing or hope he still got loot from his fights. Same thing for increasing his **Level** , just replace loot with XP.

That left Skill Books. And what better place to find books of any kind than the library?

Finding the section he wanted, Joshua immediately started looking over the various books, pulling them out and looking to see if any notifications popped up.

Fortunately, it didn't take him long to find what he wanted. Because after only two minutes of searching, he got a notification from the book he now held in his hand.

 **You have obtained the Skill Book: Aura, Light of the Soul**

 **Store/Use/Return**

Checking to make sure nobody was looking at him, Joshua clicked the **Use** option and the Skill Book broke down into countless, tiny motes of light before flowing into his body.

 **Aura (Passive & Active) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **The light and power born of the soul. With this ability unlocked, you have gained the ability to manifest the power of you immortal soul into a physical form, to be used as a shield from all harm and a weapon to be used against your enemies.**

 **Aura Points (AP) have been unlocked for this character. AP will scale according to levels and Stats in a manner similar to HP.**

 **Passive: Str/Vit/Agi/Dex are all boosted by 30%**

 **Active: All damage received is transferred to the users AP instead of their HP. Health Regen is boosted by 100%.**

Joshua released a deep sigh as he quickly scrolled through the text. ' _Yeah. This'll go a long way_.' With his Aura unlocked, he now had a lot more options on how to get money and Level Up. Granted, his new body still had a long way to go, but this was a start.

Now, time to handle his second objective. Find himself a Skill Book that could give him a fighting style.

oOoOoOoOo

 **You have obtained the Skill Book: Boxing, the Sweet Science**

 **Store/Use/Return**

This one actually took him a little longer to find. The problem was that he'd already asked the receptionist for directions towards the section with books on Aura, going back to ask him about any books about Martial Arts or fighting styles would kinda stand out. Especially since he already told him that the book on Aura was for a project. What kind of school project would need information on Aura _and_ Martial Arts? Maybe in a Combat School, but he wasn't in one, or any school for that matter, and he didn't want to seem strange.

Yes, he was being paranoid. Sue him.

Fortunately, there were other ways to find the books he wanted. Like the computers available that had all the information he needed. After asking someone for the guest password, he logged on and started looking through the archives for something he could use. It took him some time because, unlike with the books on Aura, books with information on Martial Arts were scattered around several areas of the library.

Martial Arts wasn't just some catch all term for kicking ass, they were just as much cultural and social aspects of society as different ways of punching or kicking somebody, and there was _a lot_ of books on different cultures here.

After memorizing some of the places listed, Joshua left the computer behind and began the second part of his search, looking for the better part of half-an-hour before he found a book on Boxing that doubled as a Skill Book.

Slipping into a quiet section away from any people, he used the Skill Book and quickly subsumed the new information.

 **Combat Boxing (Passive – Fighting Style) Lvl. 1(Beginner) XP 0.00%**

 **Pugilism. The Sweet Science. Bare-Fisted Brawling. Chin Music. All these terms and more have been used to describe this fighting style in action. Focusing on speed and sheer striking force, this style hits fast, hits hard, and keeps hitting again and again. Nothing fancy, with its offensive techniques focused on punching, but fancy doesn't matter when you floor somebody with one good punch.**

 **Str/Vit/Agi/Dex are all boosted by 15% (Beginner)**

 **Gain access to Stances:**

 **Brawler (Beginner)**

 **Counter-Puncher (Beginner)**

 **Out-Boxer (Beginner)**

 **In-Fighter (Beginner)**

 **Boxer-Puncher (Beginner)**

Like the description said, the style wasn't anything fancy, but it'd still work. What mattered was that he now had some options in a fight, especially from what he could tell from the different Stances. With this fighting style active along with his Aura, all of his physical stats were boosted up to 45%. Since he didn't have any way of getting a cool weapon like he already had for some of his other avatars, he'd have to make due with Hand-to-Hand. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though. In fact, depending on what kind of weapon he may or may not get in the future, choosing to develop a Martial Arts Style could help him in the long run.

Point being, now he was prepared to start seriously working on his level.

Time to go and kill some monsters.

oOoOoOoOo 25 Minutes Later oOoOoOoOo

"What the hell am I doing?" Joshua muttered under his breath, looking over the small clearing containing the enemies he was looking for.

It was a small area beyond the boundaries of the town itself, just far enough from the defensive turrets and patrolling military vehicles for the occupying Grimm to be left alone.

Coming out here wasn't too hard, just requiring him to walk outside the town limits and pass by any patrolling soldiers. People were discouraged from going a certain distance from the city limits, but it wasn't technically against the law. People might shake their heads at your foolishness or personally try to stop you, but there wasn't much keeping you from leaving besides your own decision to stay.

Which, of course, was because of the very real fact that you could actually _die_ out here. A fact that was hitting him hard right now as he looked down at the Grimm.

 **Beowolf**

 **Lvl. 7**

 **Beowolf Pup**

 **Lvl. 3**

 **Beowolf Pup**

 **Lvl. 2**

 **Beowolf Pup**

 **Lvl. 4**

Yeah, if this was still a game, he'd probably have jumped in already. These things were _pathetic_ from a statistical standpoint, even with him only at Lvl. 1. But this wasn't just a game anymore, he could really die against those monsters down there.

' _Still_ ,' he thought, trying to steel himself, get back some confidence. " _These guys are probably as weak as_ enemies will _get. Definitely the weakest that'll fall right into my fucking lap. If I can't even work up the guts to beat these things right now, when will I ever_?'

Letting that thought circulate to calm his nerves, Joshua focused on trying to find ways to make the fight more manageable. Really, if he couldn't even beat _these_ little wannabe monsters, he wouldn't last a week in this world. He could still remember some of the other threats that existed in this world when it was a game. He saw and fought Grimm with Levels in the upper 100's. Not to mention dangerous criminals or terrorists.

And _especially_ some of the more vicious PC gangs, like the Slaughterhouse Cabal.

…Holy shit, thinking about those guys _still_ sent some shivers down his spine.

It was an unfortunate fact of life that, with any MMO made in the world, there would always be people that used it to be jackasses. Trolls, bullies, anyone who used such a game to play the role of villain or criminal.

'World of Remnant: Online' was no exception. There was no shortage of trolls and griefers that just loved making pests of themselves. Granted, it was mostly harmless. Just pranks or rude comments on the chatrooms. That was what they mostly limited themselves to.

Then the Slaughterhouse Cabal came along and showed everyone in the game just how straight up terrifying a PC could be in such an immersive virtual world. A group of Players that banded together for the sake of leveling up and inducing as much virtual chaos and destruction as possible. In any old MMO like 'Guild Wars' or 'World of Warcraft', trouble was limited to how many players you could shank or insult. In 'World of Remnant: Online', players and their attitudes weren't the only things you could affect, but also the environment and economy and even the in-game political climate. They reduced whole town to ruined shells, terrorized entire cities and killed thousands of PC's and NPC's alike.

Simply put, they were a bunch of real life nut-jobs who decided to band together in-game to roleplay as the world's most terrifying monsters. It eventually got to the point that Monty himself decried them for their actions and posted a bounty of real world money and in-game currency for each member of the group. Hell, even in-game NPC Organizations put bounties out on the bastards.

He still remembered those few run-ins he had with them. He never actually beat any of them, and he always did it as part of a larger group, but they always seemed to ward everyone off and slip away. And that was on the rare occasion that they didn't outright destroy the attacking group. They were psychos, but they also happened to be _VERY TOUGH_ psychos. He recalled that the Levels he saw for the members he fought were all well in the 200's! They were fucking _crazy_ strong!

'… _So why the hell am I scared of these things_?'

And that did it. He refused to be scared by these pathetic beginner level enemies, not when he'd fought off much worse. Yeah, it was dangerous. He could die. But if he just stood around and left himself weak, he'd just be helpless when the _real_ monsters came along.

Okay, game plan. Really, he was making this first fight more concerning than it deserved to be. The only real problems were the matured Beowolf and there being four of them. He'd need to cut down their numbers and take care of the weaker enemies first. Getting swarmed by them would only end badly.

Could he use the trees? Possible, the trees provided natural cover and he could use them to keep the Beowulf from ganging up on him. He didn't have any ranged attacks though, so he'd have to draw the Pups out some other way.

Sneaking to the edge of the clearing and hiding behind a tree, he looked at his surroundings for anything else he could use. Let's see. Tree branches, a bunch of leaves, some rocks and….wait. Rocks!

Sneaking over to a boulder with a number of smaller chunks scattered around it, Joshua picked up one of the better sized pieces and went to another edge of the clearing, nearer to one of the Beowolf Pups and keeping himself downwind.

Carefully positioning himself behind and to the side of the tree, he sighted down on of the Pups, pulling his arm back for a throw. "Here goes nothing."

He threw his arm forward and let the rock fly, aiming straight at the head of the Lvl. 3 Pup, even as he pulled his body back behind the tree, peeking out to watch the results.

Luck was on his side, because the projectile hit the beast right in the side of the head, drawing its attention and an angry growl. Searching for the source of its annoyance, the creature slowly prowled towards the location the rock came from.

By that point, Joshua was already resting on one of the branches on the other side of the tree from the prowling Beowolf Pup, waiting for it to come right below him. He only had one chance at this, chances are he'd die if he got it wrong, so he'd better make it work.

As the Grimm moved around the trunk of the tree, looking for its mysterious assailant, he struck. Falling down on top of the monster, he hit it with all his weight and mass right on the Pups neck.

The creature died without a sound beyond the snapping of the top section of its spine.

 **Your Level Has Increased By One! Your Level Has Increased By One!**

Two Levels for one kill? Not bad.

Unfortunately, it looked like the other Grimm heard the snapping of their dear pack-mates bones, drawing their attention as the other three moved forward.

Their advance quickened when they spotted him standing over the dissolving corpse, breaking into predatory growls.

It's funny. He should've been scared, or at least worried. He was about to fight three Grimm, without a weapon, with two of them even higher leveled than he was. And this time, he wouldn't have the element of surprise.

But he wasn't. Not even a little concerned. Because somehow, he _knew_ he was gonna win this.

With that thought in mind, he cupped his hands in front of his mouth, challenging them with a shout of, "Bring it on, fur balls!", and retreating into the forest to fight on his own terms.

He heard a number of growls in response, signaling that the beasts had accepted his challenge, giving chase into the trees. He heard their charging steps coming up behind and flashed a quick look back to see how close they were. Gaining, but with some distance.

He turned left on the path and stopped behind one of the trees, still blocked from their view. Instead of hiding like he did behind the last tree, he took the brief break to pick up one of the **Combat Boxing** stances the Skill Book had given him.

 **Out-boxer (Beginner): A Boxing stance made famous by stars like Muhammad Ali. The Out-boxer focuses on footwork, precision, and lightning-fast jabs to keep the opponent off balance by leading the fight.**

 **Agi/Dex are both boosted by 10% while using this Stance.**

 **All Jabs gain a 15% boost to attack power**

It was the Lvl. 4 Pup that got to him first, running around the bend of the tree and nearly stopping from surprise as it saw him standing right in front of it.

Bad idea. Especially when it was in range of his **Jab**.

 **Jab: The most basic technique in Boxing, yet often considered the most important. Striking out with the leading hand, these attacks come out fast, accurate, and often in volleys.**

 **Cost: 2 Stamina per Jab.**

Shooting out a rapid **Jab** from his left hand, Joshua hit the Grimm right in the snout and forced it to stumble back, its HP bar flashing white to designate a Critical Hit. as it dipped straight into the red zone. Luck just so had it that it stumbled right into the charge of the other two as they came barreling around. Dodging back from the literal dogpile, Joshua only stayed still long enough to see the Beowulf Pup's body dissolving into inky smoke, the rest of its HP obliterated by the collision, before he retreated again. He didn't even bother paying attention to the Level Up message.

They were getting angry now, if there loud growling was any indication.

With a little more distance between them, and both Beowolves in his line of sight, he took up a different Boxing Stance.

 **In-Fighter (Beginner): A Boxing Stance made famous by stars like Mike Tyson. The In-Fighter is an aggressive Boxer who focuses on getting close and delivering maximum punishment with rapid-fire punches. Speed, force and relentlessness are the trademark characteristics of this Stance.**

 **Str/Agi are boosted by 15% while using this Stance.**

Fortunately, the cost in Stamina was small enough that he'd almost didn't even see the reduction at all. All he had to do was weave around and land precise blows to get Critical Hits. No problem, especially given that the two remaining Grimm were a little weakened from the collision.

They roared as they charged him, eyes glowing red in rage. Oh yeah, they were definitely angry. Their minds were practically awash with a bloody haze, eager to rip him apart. Too far gone to think of any tactics at all.

He met them with a charge of his own, rushing over roots and by the trees, heading straight for them.

The mature Beowolf led, raising up a massive paw to attack, ready to bring down its razor sharp claws and cut him to ribbons. Ready to kill him and feast on his bloody carcass.

Its claw came down on dirt and pebbles as Joshua stopped _right_ out of range of it attack, giving the young man an opening to launch a vicious **Hook** to the left side of its ribcage, shattering whatever worked as bone for the creatures body.

 **Hook: A devastating semi-circular punch shot from either hand. Quick, hard-hitting, and often going straight for the head. Many tough fighters have been brought low with a good Hook.**

 **Cost: 10 Stamina per Hook.**

Weaving around to the keening monsters side, he kept the smaller Grimm from flanking him with a quick game of keep away, giving him the opportunity to finish the bigger threat with another devastating **Hook** to the back of its head.

The mature Beowolf collapsed lifeless to the ground as its neck shattered from the blow.

 **Your Level Has Increased By One! Your Level Has Increased By One!**

Joshua couldn't hold back his smile. He was worried about _these_ things? Really? This was no harder than the first batch he'd ever killed in the game. Probably easier, given his better grasp of tactics now.

Flashing forward at the last enemy, he destroyed the Pups skull with another **Hook** from his right, angled downward to bring extra force upon the beasts head.

It didn't even have a chance to fight back before it died, falling to the ground in another lifeless heap.

Joshua just stood there for a while, coming down from the adrenaline high as he took in the victory, gasping from the rush.

"I-I did it. I fucking did it!"

A shout of victory rose up from his lungs as the realization hit home. He won. He won! He even had four more levels now from the kills. He was Lvl. 5 now!

Granted, that didn't really mean too much, given some of the stronger enemies he was bound to run into later, but it was a start. And a pretty good one, too.

"Menu."

With that word, the screen popped up right in front of his vision, automatically transferring to the Level Up page to distribute his new Stat Points.

' _Let me see. I got four Levels, five Points each. So, twenty new points_.' Good gain, but what to do with them?

Pondering over the matter, Joshua looked at the Stat descriptions to see if they could shed some light on the matter.

 **Strength: This statistic determines physical strength and power. Increases Carry Weight for the Inventory by 10 pounds per point. Increases the accuracy and power of physical attacks by 5% per point.**

 **Vitality: This statistic determines constitution and resilience. Increases total health by 15 points per point added in Vitality. Increases Health Regeneration by 5% per point. Increases total Stamina by 15 points per point added in Vitality.**

 **Agility: This statistic determines maneuverability and speed. Increases movement and attack speed by 5% per point.**

 **Dexterity: This statistic determines the accuracy of attacks and potency of critical hits. Increases the power of critical hits by 5% per point. Increases the accuracy and power of projectile attacks by 2% per point.**

 **Wisdom: This statistic determines a person's connection with their aura and ability to use it. Increases total AP by 15 points per point added in Wisdom. Increases Aura Regeneration by 5% per point. Increases the power of all attacks and Skills considered 'Aura Fueled' by 5% per point.**

 **Intelligence: This statistic determines ingenuity and mental acuity. Decreases the cost for all physical and Aura based skills by 3% per point.**

Joshua breathed out a sigh of relief. He was worried the Stats or their functions might have changed somehow. That could've been a problem, even slight changes to gameplay mechanics could have long-reaching consequences, and waking up in a living game world was enough of a change already.

Still, he needed to decide how to spread out his points. Leveling up might not take very long _now_ , but it would get harder as his Level and the XP requirements for each _next_ level rose. He'd need to think in long term, and that meant thinking up a plan on how he would distribute his points as he Leveled up.

It was an approach that went a long way for him in the past. Several of his strongest characters for the game had their stats and Skills revolving around a particular specialty. A melee juggernaut, a powerful Dust wielder, he even had a speed demon that could practically run the distance between cities on one continent in under ten minutes.

So what should he focus on right now?

Physical attacks and Strength? His Boxing Martial Arts style was already pretty potent. He destroyed a Beowolf that was a full four levels above him in just two hits.

But should he focus on it? Maybe he would've if he was still just playing a game, but that wasn't the case anymore. This world was real now, especially the dangers. Besides, Boxing would level up with use over time, so his physical attacks would be boosted regardless of whether or not he focused on his Strength stat. Not to mention other were other ways to boost his Strength, anyway.

Constitution was tempting. It would boost his survivability and how many physical Skills he could use in battle, but he could get much the same result by putting points in Wisdom. Few defenses were as potent as a second HP bar, after all. Granted, that would probably leave him vulnerable if his Aura was ever depleted, but he was pretty much screwed if that happened anyway.

Agility was the same as Strength. He could get similar boosts from just having his Boxing active and improve the stat the old-fashioned way.

Dexterity? Projectile attacks weren't really an option for him right now, anyway. Stronger Critical Hits was a tempting proposition, but it was nothing he couldn't replicate with more powerful attacks in general.

That just left Wisdom and Intelligence as his remaining options. Increased total AP and stronger Aura fueled attacks, and greater cost-efficiency for all his Skills.

It took him some thinking, but in the end, he decided on how to distribute his points.

 **Name: Joshua Bridger**

 **Level: 5**

 **Health Points (HP): 140**

 **Aura Points (AP): 290**

 **Stamina: 140**

 **Strength: 10 (Base)**

 **Vitality: 10 (Base)**

 **Agility: 15**

 **Dexterity: 10 (Base)**

 **Wisdom: 20**

 **Intelligence: 15**

The choice wasn't a hard one. As it stood, Wisdom just gave him the most bang for his buck per stat point. His Boxing attacks were strong enough that he didn't need to enhance his Strength right away. Given a little more time, he was bound to pick up some Skills that were classified as 'Aura Fueled', which would benefit from his Wisdom stat to empower it. It might be in the slight long-term, but he was confident it would pay off sooner rather than later. Not to mention the extra AP essentially added to what was a second Health bar.

Intelligence also helped by cutting down the cost of all his Skills, allowing him to use them more frequently and efficiently. There was a very good reason that Wisdom and Intelligence were often used in tandem.

Agility wasn't _entirely_ necessary, but his focus was to boost his survivability right now. Fact is, if he had to choose between being hit or not, he'd go with not. Therefore, putting the last five points in Agility.

Satisfied with his choices, Joshua checked the ground. If this place was still running by game mechanics, that would mean-ah ha! There it is!

There, lying on the ground was an object. Just a little leather bag. A leather bag with a description on it.

 **Loot Bag**

Yes! Loot Bag's meant vendor trash, vendor trash meant money, and money meant he could probably get food and crash in a motel.

Opening the loot bag to check the contents, Joshua's face broke into a grin.

 **Contents:**

 **Beowolf Mask: The mask left behind by a mature Beowolf. While the bodies of the Grimm may dissipate into nothingness as they die, it's possible to extract '** _ **harder'**_ **pieces of their bodies before they disappear completely. These pieces are often quite valuable when sold.**

 **Beowolf Fangs: The fangs left behind by a mature Beowolf. While the bodies of the Grimm may dissipate into nothingness as they die, it's possible to extract '** _ **harder'**_ **pieces of their bodies before they disappear completely. These pieces are often quite valuable when sold.**

 **Beowolf Claws: The claws left behind by a mature Beowolf. While the bodies of the Grimm may dissipate into nothingness as they die, it's possible to extract '** _ **harder'**_ **pieces of their bodies before they disappear completely. These pieces are often quite valuable when sold.**

 _YES_! Vendor trash. Now all he had to do was get back to town to sell this stuff and-

His musing was interrupted by a sudden rushing in the bushes and his own instinct shouting ' _dodge you idiot'_!

Lunging down and to the right, Joshua came away with the _very_ uncomfortable sensation of a sharp breeze passing by, right above where his head was positioned less than a second ago.

Turning his sideways lunge into a roll, he came out in a fighting stance and got a look at his new enemy.

' _Oh, crap_.'

It was a Beowolf. A _BIG_ Beowolf, covered in white plating and with arms almost the length of his whole body. Unfortunately, its size was _not_ , in fact, his biggest concern. That would've been its Level.

 **Adult Beowolf**

 **Lvl. 17**

 **xXx**

Hey everybody. In case you're a little surprised by the lack of Authors Notes at the end of the last chapter, I finished it at around 1:00 AM and was really tired. I just wanted to post the chapter and go to sleep. So, I'll make up for it in this one.

First off, the reason I'm making a fic specifically like _this_.

Well, I'll admit, I was inspired by it a little when reading The Games We Play, by Ryuugi. It became kind of interesting seeing the mechanics of a videogame being made into a specific power, and it became more interesting as I both read his fanfiction and did some research on the Korean Manhwa, The Gamer.

I noticed that there were other RWBY/Gamer fics with similar ideas, but their execution was mostly the same. A character, OC or Canon, woke up one day and discovered their Semblance was The Gamer power and goes on to be a big badass. That's not a bad premise, but I wanted to do something a little different. They might say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but after a while it just gets a little repetitive.

So I thought of ways to make it different, and got an idea. _Could somebody have their own unique Semblance while also being a Gamer_? Following that line of thought, I built upon it into this fic and came up with a backstory at the same time.

Instead of just being born on Remnant and awakening The Gamer as a Semblance, I took some tips from the Light Novel/Manga/Anime series, Overlord. This was actually noticed by the first person to review this fic, kudos to you. By having my OC suddenly be transported directly into the game at the shutdown time, it allowed him to have both abilities as a Gamer in addition to his own Semblance.

As for why he did it with a fresh character, I thought I could do that to help add to the tension. He's weak and vulnerable in a world where the dangers have suddenly become all too real. He's out of his depth and he needs to get stronger to survive. I'll admit, I was tempted to have him manifest as one of his stronger characters, but I decided to take a different route. A deconstructing route, to show just how scary this kinds of situation really is, not a fantasy where you can go around punting the strongest enemies in the world. This was actually inspired by a Naruto fanfiction, Aberration, that explores a very important fact that is usually glossed over in Self-Inserts like this.

That they are a person with no home, no money, no ID or citizenship or a passport. They are essentially the world's most literally homeless vagrant. They could probably be detained indefinitely and encounter a slew of other legal problems because they have no citizenship anywhere on the planet.

Which, in all honesty, would raise a bunch of alarm bells in a world as dangerous as Remnant. Yeah, he's REALLY ticked off that he didn't take the time to work out his new PC's backstory and identification now.

Then again, if he took the time to do it, he might not have gotten trapped in the game at all. ' _GASP_ '! Could somebody have planned this? (Points to self)

Make no mistake, I have plans for how Joshua will develop his abilities. He's gonna be powerful, VERY powerful, but he's gonna have to work for it for quite a while before he really picks up steam. And even then, he won't be invincible. He's gonna fight hard against some really terrifying enemies, he's gonna be challenged. Just because I want to make him powerful doesn't mean I'm gonna make him a Marty Stu. That would just be boring.

So, be on the lookout for the next chapter folks, to find out how our dear Joshua will get himself outta this one.

Hint: It'll involve his Semblance.

…Yes, I'm taunting you now. Feel free to express you anger with creative reviews. After all, I BASK in your hate.


	3. A Power Unlocked

Chapter 3

 **A Power Unlocked**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

 **Hello –** Game Text/Game Options/Skills

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

' _Oh yeah_ ,' Joshua thought, barely dodging out of the way of the Beowolf's massive clawed paw as it swung through the air, narrowly missing his head. ' _No denying it. I'm definitely screwed_.'

Granted, if it was just the creature's Level, he might not be having too much of a problem. No, the problem was that the thing could move so _fucking_ fast despite its size. All while still hitting like a damned boulder!

Joshua was an avid videogame player, and that experience led to him gaining a certain degree of knowledge on the subject. One of the more surprising thing he'd learned was that Levels on their own didn't mean as much as you'd think. What mattered was the spread of a characters Stats, their collection of Skills, and their ability to use them cohesively for the greatest effect. Environment was another factor, depending on the game, but it wasn't always a consistent one.

So, as it stood, this monster had all the advantages. It moved and attacked too fast for him to get in any blows of his own, it was durable enough to take his hits without any problems, and he just _knew_ that the damned thing could hit him hard enough to probably kill him in one or two blows.

That left a slow retreat as his only option. He couldn't turn around to run without a big risk of the thing pouncing on him and ripping away. Besides, he was willing to be that the large Grimm was fast enough to chase him down in moments, even if he somehow gained a head start.

Backing away with every step, Joshua slowly worked his way back to town, careful to keep the Beowolf in his sights and dodging its attacks. If he was careful, he could lure it back to somewhere near the border patrols for the town. He might not be able to beat this thing on his own, but maybe with the backup from a few soldiers.

' _Whoa_ ', he weaved back from another swipe, barely avoiding his face being shaved off. ' _Dammit! This things playing with me!_ '

Yeah, that couldn't be clearer. This Grimm was just toying with him, not even _trying_ to take him seriously as it swung its huge clawed paws. In fact, he was half sure the thing was smiling at him in amusement, like some _toy_.

Unfortunately, he couldn't really do anything to wipe the smile off its face. This thing was out of his league and there was nothing he could do to beat it directly. His only hope was to fight smart and lure it to somewhere where somebody else could kill it.

With that plan in mind, Joshua kept a steady pace moving back, avoiding roots and swiping claws alike. It was slow progress, partially due to a refusal to up and run, giving the Beowolf an undefended blow to his back, and needing to dodge its attacks as it advanced on him.

But he was making progress. Just a little further and he'd be right on top of a patrol route, meaning he'd have a couple of soldiers to take this thing down. Just a little more. Just a little-gah!

He fell back, swinging his arms to try and keep balance as he plummeted.

' _What the-a root!_ '

Oh, fate was definitely laughing at him. He tripped on a goddamn root that was covered by the snow. Of all things, he was gonna die because he tripped backward over a _FUCKING ROOT_!

The huge Beowulf seemed to consider the whole moment laughable, if its chuckling growl was any indication.

Joshua, on the other hand, couldn't find anything about the situation to be funny. _Especially_ given how fast the Beowolf moved forward to hit him with a heavy swipe, sending him tumbling on the ground and straight into a tree.

 _SNAP!_

' _Okay,_ ' he thought wryly, his mind a pain filled haze. ' _There goes my spine._ '

Trying to blink the spots from his eyes, Joshua occupied his attention with clenching his hands, testing the response time. Feeling the muscles in his arm and hand contract, he tried to focus on the sensation. Something to help him come back down to earth.

When he started seeing clearly again, he honestly wished he hadn't bothered. His AP was _gone_. Completely erased from that one hit, and his HP was barely any better. If he had to guess, he'd say he probably had less than 5% of his HP left.

And, to make thing even better, the Beowolf was prowling over to him.

Moving in long, slow steps, the beast moved with a casual feel. Why rush? It had him cornered now, he couldn't even move.

And as it stood over him, looking down with red and malicious eyes, it struck Joshua that he was really going to die. This thing was gonna kill him while he was helpless on the ground, and there was _nothing_ he could even do about it.

' _Dammit_ ', he thought, the Grimm raising its right paw up for a crushing downward swipe. ' _Is this really how I'm gonna die? In this cold, snowy forest, at level 5_?'

…..

No! _HELL NO_! No fucking way was he gonna die like this.

Pushing all the pain in his body to some tiny compartment in the back of his mind, Joshua willed his body to _move_! Forcing his arms to push him up, gritting his teeth so hard he thought they'd chip, he rose up to his knees and positioned his right foot to put him in a kneeling position.

The Beowolf didn't even seem to notice his act of defiance, bringing its massive paw down for a finishing blow.

' _Need to move. MOVE!_ '

And just before the Beowolf's paw hit, an announcement window appeared.

 **Congratulations! Your desperation and drive to win have worked to awaken you Semblance!**

 **Due to the awakening of your Semblance, your AP has automatically refilled.**

He barely even took the time to notice the window, more caught up in how his body instantly reverted back to its former state and his AP refilled. Minus a chunk of 30% of his AP.

His vision suddenly clearing, the pain gone, Joshua's body sprung to the side, using his foot's position to shoot to the Grimm's flank. Just before the Beasts paw came down and shot up a light pillar of fine snow. Like a geyser of white powder.

He didn't bother running. He didn't bother planning, either. The Grimm was open and still shocked from its failed attack and almost blinded from the snow in its face, brought up from the force of its own attack!

This was his chance!

Rushing towards the Beowolf's legs, Joshua shifted his Stance to **In-Fighter** , ready to finally go on the offensive! Putting all the force he could muster into the heaviest punch possible, Joshua pulled his body down with his knees as his fist landed in the side of the Beowolf's kneecap, increasing the force with his own momentum with a brutal **Overhand**.

 **Overhand: An inversion of the Uppercut. Fueled by gravity and downward momentum as much as the fighter's strength, this blow has been known to send all but the hardest skulls down to the mat with a single blow.**

 **Cost: 20 Stamina per Overhand.**

It felt like punching a sheet of metal as the blow landed. He could almost feel his knuckles breaking from the clash.

But the creature's knee gave with an oh so satisfying _SNAP_ as it broke on his fist. ' _That's for the three little pigs, you hairy bastard_!'

Letting out a howl of anguish as it collapsed down to one knee, the huge monster fell. Its pain and shock quickly replaced by rage, the Beowolf tried to turn towards him. To strike out and make him pay for its injury.

Joshua darted around to its back, its movements so sluggish now that it couldn't even stand, much less keep up with him.

Joshua smiled a predatory grin, so very similar to the one this creature had flashed him mere moments ago. "Oh, this is gonna feel _so_ fucking good!"

Charging forward again, Joshua kept in synch with the Beowolf's attempts to keep turning around. Constantly out of reach. Constantly in its blind spot.

Constantly launching punch after punch at its spine. **Hooks** , **Jabs** , **Straights** , **Corkscrews** , every punch his **Combat Boxing** style gave him.

 **Straight: A quick and heavy hit from the dominant hand. Also called the Cross, this punch comes out fast and hits hard. Typically right into the opponents face.**

 **Cost: 15 Stamina per Straight.**

 **Corkscrew: A Straight punch launched with a twisting momentum from the chambering of the arm. Believed to have been invented by Charles 'Kid' McCoy to make cuts into the opponent's skin from the twisting motion, the former star's fight record speaks for itself.**

 **Effect: 10% percent to inflict the 'Bleeding' status effect with every use**

 **Cost: 20 Stamina per Corkscrew.**

Still, this wasn't a reckless flurry of hits. It was a calculated assault. He mixed in his more powerful punching Skills with regular punches, conserving his Stamina. It wouldn't help if he lost all the fuel he needed for his better attacks on a blind rush, he needed to conserve his strength.

The **Corkscrew** in particular was a godsend. Granted, it didn't do as much damage as his heavier punches, but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that it let him inflict **Bleeding** to act as a DoT. Even his strongest punches couldn't take this thing down easy, so he needed to make this a protracted fight. Use quick volleys of regular and Skill punches followed by a short break to let his Stamina re-fill. All while keeping in the Beowolf's blind spot, out of range of his razor sharp claws.

Hit, hit, hit, dodge around. Hit, hit, hit, dodge around. Hit, hit, hit, dodge around. It became a rhythm, a dance. He'd weave around to the monsters back and launch a quick flurry of blows before following its back again. The Beowolf might not be able to catch him because of its injury, but it could still kill him if it caught him with even a single hit.

He almost died the last time this thing hit him. And it was _playing_ with him then. Something told him it wouldn't be a toying blow this time.

So the fight continued. A slow and brutal affair of keep away. A contest of unable to easily hit vs. unable to seriously hurt.

Until Joshua's rhythm was interrupted by a flash of instinct. The same one that warned him when this Grimm nearly took his head clean off.

Immediately getting some distance from the downed Grimm, Joshua kept in his stance and looked around for what set him off.

It didn't take him long to see a trio of younger Beowolves exiting the trees, or hear their footsteps plodding in the snow. Each of them at Level 6.

Unwilling to lose the initiative, he dove into the group, hitting the lead Beowolf with a vicious **Straight** to the throat.

Not even bothering to take the time to listen to the monster choke on its own blood and shattered larynx, he moved onto the next on to dispatch it with a **Hook** to its ribcage, breaking it like so many twigs. Then he turned on the third, hitting it with a quick uppercut to the jaw and lifting it clean off the ground.

 **Your Level Has Increased By One!**

Level 6? Sweet!

Turning around to catch the most dangerous enemy of the day back in his sights, Joshua decided there was enough space for him to safely examine its HP.

The results weren't encouraging

' _What the hell!? How can it still have 85% left!?_

But what he saw didn't lie. The Adult Beowolf was barely even hurt! Even after all the punches he landed, even after he destroyed its fucking knee!

' _Holy shit, I'm weak_.'

Dammit, this got him so fucking _pissed_. He almost died because of this thing, he'd been fighting it for almost twenty minutes if the clock on his HUD was any indication, and he barely had anything to show for it.

Determined to take the Grimm down, Joshua circled around again before resuming his assault on its back. No way was he backing down now. No way in _hell_ is he letting this thing get away. _No way was he letting it win by making all his progress and effort for nothing_!

Time seemed to give way to their deadly dance, slipping by fast or slow or not at all for all Joshua was paying attention.

But the longer he kept punching, the more he realized that this approach just wasn't working. He wasn't dealing enough damage, not by a long shot. At this rate, it'd probably take him more than an hour to put it down.

And if that little incursion with that trio of Beowolves showed him, it was that he couldn't take his time with this. Not anymore. Night was getting closer, it was already twilight, and more Grimm would be attracted to the sounds of fighting. Grimm that were probably even stronger than this one.

He needed to end this quickly, but he couldn't hit hard enough. He could only win this fight with a protracted battle, but he couldn't afford to take his time.

In short, he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Dammit! He needed to hit this thing harder. He needed more force in his attacks! He needed to end this fight _now_!

He started hitting it with more force, desperation winning over calm, as if a solution would present itself in face of his sheer stubborn drive to win.

And just like that, his solution came in the form of another announcement window.

 **Congratulations! Through constant training in battle and due to raising your Wisdom to 20, you have unlocked the Skill 'Aura Strike'.**

 **Aura Strike (Active & Passive) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **The power to convert Aura into a physical force to bolster attacks. An ancient technique known only to those in tune with the flow of their own Aura.**

 **Passive: All physical attacks and Skills are considered Aura Empowered, allowing them to draw power from the Wisdom stat in addition to Strength.**

 **Active: Physical attacks and Skills can be further strengthened at the cost of AP. Current exchange is 1% extra damage per 1 AP added to the total power of a physical attack or Skill.**

…Oh, this is gonna be _awesome_!

Plunging back in with a vengeance, Joshua's offensive gained a whole new level of ferocity. Activating **Aura Strike** before the first punch even flew out, he began his combo with a **Straight** right into the center of the Beowolf's spin.

And it _felt_ it. It _really_ felt the hit, cringing and releasing a grunt of pain from the blow. With **Aura Strike** activated, all of his physical attacks became aura empowered, meaning they drew strength from his Wisdom stat as much as his Strength. His basic attacks were now hitting with three times the force, to say nothing of his physical **Skills**.

He was hurting it. He was _winning_!

An assault that would've drawn on for an hour was shortened to roughly five minutes. Chunks of the Beowolf's HP chipping away with every hit, the fight drawing closer to its end.

A fact that the Beowolf seemed to realize, given its increasingly desperate attempts to get him in its line of sight.

Deciding to take one more risk for the day, emboldened by his success, Joshua stopped punching and _jumped_ straight onto the monsters shoulders.

With its head directly beneath him, Joshua brought down a savage **Overhand** on the top of its skull. Empowering the blow even further by sacrificing half of his total AP, the downward punch hit with all the force of a pile driver.

The effect was instantaneous. The Grimm suddenly stopped moving as the blow connected, going eerily still. Then it fell to the ground like the lifeless heap it now was.

Joshua may or may not have also shouted "TIMBER!" as it landed with a thud on the snowy ground.

Jumping off before the body could dissipate under his feet, Joshua stood back and took a moment to check his surroundings. Other Grimm had already caught him by surprise twice today, this large one being such an example. He wasn't about to let his guard down just yet.

Fortunately, no other Grimm seemed to be inbound. He didn't have to worry about any interruptions or surprise attacks. Realizing he could calm down a little, Joshua turned to the smoking carcass of the Beowolf he just killed, watching the corpse dissipate into black smoke before his very eyes.

Was it over?

And for the third time that day, his answer came as another announcement window.

 **Your Level Has Increased By One! Your Level Has Increased By One! Your Level Has Increased By One!**

 **Your Level Has Increased By One! Your Level Has Increased By One! Your Level Has Increased By One!**

 **Your Level Has Increased By One! Your Level Has Increased By One!**

…..It was over. He _WON_!

Joshua couldn't help it. He cried out a shout of triumph, a sound of victory and pride in his overcoming the odds. At finally putting that huge bastard down.

Coming down from the high of victory, Joshua stared around for any **Loot Bags**. Getting to Level 14 was awesome and all, but the win just wouldn't be complete without some loot to show for it.

He found it after a brief search, slightly covered by the snow where the monstrous Beowolf fell dead to the ground.

 **Contents:**

 **Adult Beowolf Mask: The mask left behind by an adult Beowolf.** **A predator that has stalked in the shadows since ancient times, killing one has long been considered a rite of passage for aspiring Hunters. Light as air in your hand and warm to the touch, the masks of such Grimm are said to empower those who claim them in battle.**

 **Effect: ?**

' _Whoa. Guess I got more from this than I expected._ '

Still, just what did this mask actually _do_? Did it change his stats somehow, or grant a new Skill. If this was still just a game, Joshua might have put the damn thing on right now to see what happened, but….

Yeah, he'd have to be careful with this thing. Maybe its effect was worth the risk, but he wasn't gonna rush to find out now. Besides, even if he didn't want to use it, he could still sell it at any time. It was definitely valuable, probably more so than a good number of smaller Beowolf masks.

' _Oh, right! I almost forgot about those three._ '

Taking a moment to get the Loot Bags of the other three Beowolves he'd killed in the fight, Joshua collected all his plunder and headed back to town, the setting sun shining its last rays of the day on his balk as he walked.

All in all, near-death aside, he'd say today had gone pretty well.

oOoOoOoOo

"Thank you for choosing the 'Winters Refuge' as your place to stay sir. Here's your key and have a nice night."

Joshua nodded in thanks to the receptionist and turned to head up the stairs, ready to go to his room and finally have some time to relax.

Just in time, too. It was 7:00 PM now and pitch black outside. Not to mention _freezing_!

He was lucky he ran into that pawnshop earlier to sell off his loot. If he dropped by just fifteen minute later, they would've closed and he'd be out in that cold right now. He still had to stand and wait for a little while for the employee to make sure the masks were authentic, but then they suddenly couldn't buy them fast enough once they found out he was giving them the genuine article. They weren't as interested in the claws and fangs, but they still bought them.

So, when it was all said and done, he walked out with a nice collection of 7,500 lien in his pocket. A pretty good sum, more than enough to get himself a nice room.

Which brought him to the almost scenic 'Winters Rest' in Silberlicht's southern quarter, unofficially termed the 'Historical District'. The area was filled with a number of buildings constructed with older or more classical designs, probably to invoke some feelings of age and history despite it being a comparably young town.

The library he'd visited earlier today had been in the same district, and he remembered visiting it a few times while playing his other avatars. As a result, he was pretty familiar with the layout.

Which bought him to this specific hotel.

Back when Silberlicht was still a developing town, people needed a place to stay and sleep. The whole concept of roughing it may have had a romantic appeal to some people. But up in Atlas where the winter never ends, there was nothing romantic about the concept. People wanted, needed, to keep warm at night.

So an enterprising man named Charles Graham decided to make use of the opportunity, smooth-talking a bank into giving him a loan, and bought up the property and materials to build up his hotel. With people desperate for a warm place to sleep, the hotel's construction and furnishing was finished in only a few months and tenants started crowding in.

Over time, Charles shifted its styling and rules to make it a long-term stay apartment hotel, making a killing as the town continued to grow and more customers came. He was eventually forced to expand it and build a second building, only holding back on a third because other apartments were also being built.

Regardless of the competition, the 'Winters Rest' was still regarded as of the most popular options available. Due to a combination of friendly service, rooms and furnishings that wouldn't be out of place in a small house and a comfortable atmosphere, the hotel was still the first choice for many people.

Frankly, Joshua agreed with them. After all, _he'd_ been a long time customer of this place for years. Although, maybe not with his current face.

So when he opened his room door and walked in, it was like he was right back at home. Hell, like he was in a _better_ home.

Flipping the light switch, he was greeted to the sight of a nice leather couch in front of a widescreen plasma TV with a low table in-between them, arrayed right in the center of the room. Further from the couch in the center, there was small kitchen with an oven and stove, a microwave, and even a medium sized fridge with a pull-out freezer on the bottom.

To the right side and behind the couch, there was a short hallway that he knew ended in a t-shaped fork. One path led to a bathroom with a full-sized bath and shower, and the other would lead to a bedroom with a king-sized bed.

Finishing it all off was a small fireplace surrounded by fire retardant mats and a ceiling fan overhead, light shining down from the attached lamp lit with four bright light-bulbs. All of this was presented with a floor of hard, thick finished wood. Smooth, clean and pleasant to the touch.

' _Maybe I overdid it a little._ '

Then again, he couldn't even remember he had this much money available to use. Could he really be blamed if he wanted to live with a little luxury for a while? Besides, he had enough to afford this room for a while. Definitely long enough to make enough money from grinding Quests and hunting Grimm.

But he could think about that later. Right now, he was tired. _Dead_ tired, and he really wanted to lay down and get some sleep. Adrenaline might feel great for a short while, but it left you exhausted when it wore off.

Shutting and locking the door behind him, Joshua prowled to the hall that led to the bedroom, lazily shrugging off his clothes as he went. Letting his boots, coat, shirt and pants drop to the floor, he almost groaned from relief as he spotted the bed.

As he approached and sat down on the edge of the bed itself, Joshua couldn't help but think about everything that had happened today. Killing an enemy that should've been way out of his league, jumping to level 14 in one day, the weird mask he won, his Semblance.

…..Wait a minute, his Semblance.

Opening his Menu, Joshua skimmed past all the points he gained, he could take care of that tomorrow. Looking in the section that held all his Skills and toggled for info on the box holding his Semblance.

He then proceeded to gawk at it like a character from an old Looney Toons show as he read the description.

 **The Circle of Time (Semblance) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **They say time is like a river. Its whole and complete motion flowing down one path, to an end unseen to all but those already there. There is no going back, no changing the tide, for we are merely fish caught in the stream.**

 **Yet, for you, this phrase couldn't be farther from the truth. Your own place in the temporal flow is but a tool you command, and with time, your power may grow to affect more beyond merely yourself.**

 **Rewind (Passive & Active x2)**

 **Passive: At the moment of death, this avatar is returned to their previous state from three minutes ago. All status effects are removed unless they were applied before three minutes ago. Health is restored to previous state from three minutes ago.**

 **Cost: 30% of total AP. This cost cannot be increased or decreased by any means.**

 **Active(1): This character is able to manually activate the passive effect of Rewind at will. See Rewind (Passive) for clarification.**

 **Active(2): This character is able to send their mind and body back in time to three minutes ago, with all their awareness of what happened and their body restored to the same state as before.**

 **Cost: 30% of total AP. This cost cannot be increased or decreased by any means.**

"No fucking way."

…..Did he just say that out loud? He was a little too out of it to be sure, but it seemed like it just slipped out on its own.

Thinking back on his fight with the Adult Beowolf, Joshua could actually remember something like this happening. When his back was broken after being smacked against the tree. When he awakened his Semblance and his HP was completely restored and his AP…when his AP was down by exactly 30%.

That must've been the cost, why his AP hadn't been topped out with his HP when he was restored.

So his Semblance was essentially an Auto-Revive Skill with a cost of 30% AP per use. And the second active Skill…well, that was where it got really complicated.

Time based Semblances were rare even back in the game, but they never had effects quite like the second activated Skill. Oh, sure, if you looked at the text for them, than they might _seem_ like they did in context, but that was impossible even for a game. Time manipulation in any game was generally just a different flavor of text used to describe a Skill, but all they did was change cooldown times or heal the user. Physically transporting oneself back in time, though? The closest comparison he could think of was save scumming, something that wasn't really possible for an MMO, and if the description of his Semblance was any indication, it did a lot more than just save scumming.

If that was the case, what was the extent of its capabilities? Would anything he grabbed come back in time with him? Would that mean there would be two of the same things in the world as a result? Oh god, what if he could pull _other_ _people_ back with him!?

He groaned. "Oh crap, my head hurts."

…Ah, screw it. He'd deal with this shit in the morning. He was too tired right now.

Pushing it all out of his mind, Joshua crawled under the covers of the large bed and immediately fell asleep.

He hadn't slept so deeply or comfortably for a long time.

 **xXx**

Hey, folks. Happy with the chapter?

Now, I know what you're probably thinking. 'A time Semblance is too OP.' 'He's gonna be a Marty Stu.'

Well, to answer that, look at the Rewind skill more closely. Especially the sheer cost and inflexible timeframe. He won't _EVER_ be able to actually spam it for infinite auto-revives, and even if he _did_ use it for revives, he'd only have three uses before he could use it again. After waiting probably a few minutes to use it again. If he ever used his Semblance like that, he would offensively and defensively cripple himself. Something he's definitely _not_ eager to do. The revives give him some extra padding, but I designed the drawbacks of his Semblance specifically to avoid giving him a crutch.

Also, you may have noticed the little changes I've made to the previous chapters. I went over them and changed things like Joshua's age and his total AP. One thing about making a fic like this is that you have to keep track of the characters stats and levels and lots of other stuff. Something I'm learning the hard way now.

Also, while there's gonna be more to Joshua's Semblance than just Rewind, I assure you that he _WON'T_ be overpowered. There's a difference between a character being powerful and just being a Sue. And given some of the fight I have in mind with some future enemies, Joshua is gonna _wish_ he was some kinda Sue, believe me.

On a side not, I think I'm gonna juggle this fic with a few others. Specifically, a Naruto fic, a Naruto/RWBY fic, a High school DxD Self-Insert fic (just keep an open mind, okay?), and _maybe_ one other idea. I want to do this so I don't end up burning my muse out by working on only this fic alone, y'know, by multitasking to keep my imagination sharp.

Anyway, leave your thoughts and comments in the reviews if you'd like.


	4. Making Progress

Chapter 4

 **Making Progress**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

 **Hello –** Game Text/Game Options/Skills

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

Joshua swayed back from the swipe of the Ursa coming after him, countering with a quick pair of **Hooks** to whatever passed for its solar plexus.

The effect was obvious as the Grimm bowed over in pain, leaving it open to an **Uppercut** that laid it flat out on its back.

"Damn. These things look so much more dangerous when you're at a lower level," Joshua mused, smirking down at the dead Ursa as its body slowly turned into smoke.

It had been almost a week since the incident with that first small pack of Beowolves and the near-death incident at the claws of the Adult. A full week since he almost died before unlocking his Semblance. Joshua was honestly having a little difficulty grasping just how far he'd came since that terrifying first day.

At least until he looked down at the Ursa that he just killed. Not to mention the other _three_ he'd left behind him.

As soon as he woke up the next day, Joshua had established a rhythm to how his days went. He'd have something to eat and buy a lunch to store in his Aura, head out into the surrounding woods to train and hunt down Grimm until dusk, head back to town to sell his loot, then return to the 'Winters Rest' for the night and check his progress and distribute his new points.

After taking a moment to collect all the Loot Bags, the young man took a moment to check his Menu and see his stats a little earlier than usual.

 **Name: Joshua Bridger**

 **Level: 19**

 **Health Points (HP): 580**

 **Aura Points (AP): 705**

 **Stamina: 580**

 **Strength: 20**

 **Vitality: 25**

 **Agility: 20**

 **Dexterity: 10**

 **Wisdom: 45**

 **Intelligence: 30**

He'd gained another four levels and twenty stat points in addition to the levels from that first day. While he'd been sure to raise his Wisdom and Intelligence the most, he made sure to spread out some points in other areas to make sure he wouldn't be lacking. Specialization was good, but overspecializing was just begging for something nasty happen.

Honestly, he was a little surprised he'd made this much progress at all. Grimm over level 15 rarely got close enough to major towns for him to hunt, leaving mostly the weaker ones. Even these Ursa here were only at around levels 10 to 12.

While he hadn't had any near death incidents since that harrowing experience, he also hadn't really made significant progress in leveling up.

Fortunately, he'd been developing in other ways.

After collecting all the loot from the dead Ursa, Joshua headed off into the trees in search of more prey.

Plodding through the snow, he put one of his more recent Skills to use.

 **Sneak (Active) Lvl. 7 XP: 12.27%**

 **To move unseen among those who seek you. To prowl in darkness from prying eyes. This is what it means to bring stealth to bear against your enemies.**

 **Effect: Once activated, the user becomes harder to distinguish from the sounds and environment around them, quieting their sounds and blending into their surroundings. Perceptive and powerful enemies may be able to detect the user. Once noticed, the user may not use this Skill against the same enemy/enemies again without diminishing results. Ability to remain hidden will increase as the Skill levels up.**

It was a Skill he got while sneaking in the forest two days ago and it was already proving useful. Especially with another recent Skill.

 **Ambush (Passive) Lvl. 6 XP: 14.13%**

 **They say victory goes to whoever strikes first. Taking this saying to heart, you have become adept at maximizing the effect of that first blow, shifting a fight in our favor before it even begins.**

 **Effect: When making the first strike against an unaware enemy, the attack is empowered with a 45% boost to damage. This effect is only applied to physical attacks, but can work on both physical attacks and physical Skills. Damage boost will increase as the Skill levels up.**

Needless to say, the two Skills formed a pretty effective combination on the enemies he'd managed to catch by surprise. The fact that he'd killed quite a few Ursa on his first attack made it pretty clear he was hitting for a lot of damage. These Ursa were _way_ more durable than almost any Beowolf. It was a good thing he hadn't encountered any of them on his first day out, otherwise he would've died right off.

That said, these Skills weren't the only things he'd been working on.

Joshua stopped moving for a moment, listening for the steps of any nearby Grimm. Some of them were easier to detect than others, like the Ursa and their own plodding footsteps. He easily heard one nearby.

Following the noise, Joshua came upon a particularly large example of the species. It was easily bigger around its chest than the trunks of some of the trees, limbs thicker that Joshuas own body and coated in that bony chitin like plating typical of Grimm. Amazingly enough, it had a level to match.

 **Ursa Major**

 **Lvl. 22**

He grinned as he spotted the level. Now _this_ would give him some decent XP.

Slowly sneaking towards it from the back, Joshua carefully stepped through the snow as he prepared a trick he'd developed to practice with his Semblance.

Reaching out to grab a handful of its shaggy fur, he activated **Rewind**.

After experimenting with his Semblance a few times, Joshua had discovered some very interesting details regarding its capabilities. One such revelation was that he could, in fact, pull other objects and people back in time with him. He'd first tested it with just an object, a piece of wood, seeing if he could keep it by storing it in his inventory. Then if he was holding it in his hand. The answer was a yes to both. And there wasn't another one in its place when he went back in time with it. Apparently, when he went back in time with something new, its presence in the past was, for lack of a better word, overwritten. If he was so inclined, he could probably steal something from a glass compartment, activate **Rewind** , and then walk off with it in his hand instead of inside the compartment.

Testing it on _people_ was something of a challenge, though. He wasn't sure if anyone but him would come out unscathed, so he was reluctant to really test it on them. There was a good chance that whoever he pulled back might drop dead or something.

Fortunately, he neither had nor needed any such compunctions regarding the Grimm.

It was always an odd sensation when he activated **Rewind**. It felt like his body, senses and consciousness were briefly being stretched between one point in time and another before the _now_ snapped to _before_ like some kinda rubber band. It was still pretty disconcerting, even after practicing with it.

The Ursa Major though, didn't have anything resembling experience with it. In fact, the damn thing looked like it was about to throw up from the weird effect as it found itself rebounding back in time with him. Joshua could sympathize, he'd almost thrown up a few times too.

Unfortunately for the large Grimm, that sympathy wasn't enough to keep Joshua from using the opening.

Jumping onto its back, he activated **Aura Strike** and dropped an **Overhand** right onto its head, breaking the plating on its scalp before jumping down and slamming a **Hook** right into its (stunned?) face.

Badly hurt and disconcerted, the Ursa stumbled back with a pained and angry growl. Injured, but still very much alive with 20% of its HP left.

A 20% that did nothing to save it from the second **Hook** to its throat, this time empowered by **Aura Strike**.

Hitting it in a place consisting of what passed as soft tissue, even Joshua was a little surprised with the result. Instead of simply pulping tissues, the **Hook** literally _tore_ through the monsters vulnerable throat. Literally tore through it and almost ended up completely severing its head, if it weren't for some skin and muscles holding it at the back of its neck.

The Grimm didn't even have time to notice it had died, falling to the ground as a dissipating corpse.

 **Your Level Has Increased By One!**

Ignoring the announcement, a stunned Joshua just stood there, looking down at the almost decapitated carcass. "Okay. That was actually kinda cool."

Collecting its Loot Bag, he couldn't help but notice he didn't get a special mask this time. This was the first higher level Grimm he'd encountered since the Adult Beowulf, and while this thing was definitely _much_ stronger than the Beowolf, he couldn't help but find it strange he didn't win another mask. Maybe they were random chance drops or something?

Thinking about it, he hadn't really tested the thing yet.

Pulling the Adult Beowolf Mask out of his inventory, he held the deceptively light object in his hand, turning it over a few times.

At a glance, it looked like nothing but a well-crafted porcelain mask with a series of blood red markings. Appearances could be deceiving, though. While someone might expect it to be cold, it was strangely warm on his skin, like he'd first noticed after retrieving it. It also seemed to have a _pulse_ , for lack of a better word. Like he could feel a subtle force flowing through the material.

Most disturbingly, though, was when he turned it around and looked at it from the front. Whenever he stared it in the eyes, he couldn't help but feel like it was somehow staring _back_ **.** As if the damned thing was looking him in the eye and reading every slight twitch of his face.

It was like the damned thing was still _alive_. It was downright creepy.

He still hadn't found out its effect because he'd yet to actually put it on. He just kept putting it off because he was worried what the results might be. Would he just drop dead? Go insane? Spontaneously transform into a Grimm and start trying to eat people?

On the other hand, it might actually do something _useful_. Given from its description, it might enhance his stealth abilities, or maybe make him physically stronger. But the potential risks kept him from putting it on.

Still, he couldn't just let it gather dust in his inventory. His only options were to use it and find out its effects or just sell it.

Listening carefully for any movement around him, Joshua noted there weren't any Grimm nearby. He also knew Silberlicht was a good distance away, so he probably wasn't putting anybody in danger if he experimented out here.

Staring at the strange mask in his hand, Joshua made his choice and put it on.

As the mask slipped into place on his face, the result was instantaneous. The mask itself seemed to _attach_ itself to his face somehow, albeit only enough not to immediately fall off. A more noticeable effect was the changes to his vision. Everything seemed to take on a red tint and somehow get…..darker. Like there was a weird overcast over everything in sight, except spots of light around the trees.

Wait a minute. Those weren't spots of light, those were the shadows of the trees. Was this how the senses of the Grimm interpreted light and dark? Maybe that's why they were more active at night, because they saw so much better in darkness.

Off in the distance, however, he saw something _much_ more interesting. A huge mass of burning lights. Glowing and searing in his vision. Silberlicht, he realized. That mass of lights was all the living souls of the people of Silberlicht.

IT as so… _entrancing_. Joshua didn't even notice as his feet slowly plodded forward through the snow, drawing closer to the town. Didn't notice as he leaned forward in a predatory stance, like the Beowolf he'd killed for the mask. Didn't notice as it filled him with a strength he didn't even know he had, even as he tore clean _through_ a tree in his way with all the speed and force of a cannonball. All he noticed was the countless, squirming, searing souls just waiting for him. Warm and waiting for him to sink his teeth into them. To draining their bodies into lifeless husks as he tore them apart. To rip and shred and-

Joshua thrashed his limbs and tumbled to the ground, suddenly realizing just what he was going to try and do. Forcing his eyes away from the town, Joshua reached up to the mask and _pulled_.

' _Dammit_ ,' Joshua thought, panicking. ' _The fucking thing won't come off_!'

It felt like it was glued to his face around the edges somehow, refusing to budge I face of his defiance. His eyes wildly moving in his sockets, Joshua vaguely noticed something odd with his AP bar.

It looked like…it looked like it was turning into a bar of black smoke.

Panicking even more at the strange sight and its rather dark implications, Joshua pulled at the mask even harder! He pulled and pulled until it felt like his hands would break.

But the mask was starting to give. And the moment before his whole AP bar was swallowed up by smoke, it came off. Shocking Joshua so badly that he immediately fell to his back.

Taking in and letting out great shuddering breaths, Joshua stared wild-eyed at the mask in his hand and what it almost made him do. "What the hell was that?"

Checking the clock on his HUD, Joshua noted that only thirty seconds had passed since he put the mask on. It almost made him do _that_ after wearing it for just thirty seconds? What the hell would've happened if he kept it on for another five!?

Well, at least he got some valuable information. The mask was dangerous, but its effect was definitely useful. A pair of abilities to see more effectively in darkness and sense people through their souls. Apparently even through great distances and physical cover or obstructions. The problem was that he could only use it for brief moments before it started driving him nuts.

Taking a moment to check his AP bar, he was relieved to note that it was back to normal. Apparently, taking the mask off had done the trick and saved it. Didn't make the implications and less terrifying, though. AP was more than just a bar of spendable points, it was a measurement of his Aura. His _soul_. If the mask was somehow affecting it, that could only mean something bad. _REALLY_ bad.

And no. He didn't shiver like a scared kitten at the thought. If anybody said he did, he'd bluntly deny it.

Pulling himself up from the ground and dusting off the snow on his coat, Joshua decided to call an early day and head back to town. Dismissing the Grimm mask back into his inventory, Joshua slowly walked back to Silberlicht, swaying slightly for the first few steps.

At least one thing was for sure. That mask was dangerous, and he'd have to be careful if he ever used it.

He honestly hoped he'd never have to.

oOoOoOoOo

' _I'm really starting to hate this restaurant_.'

Really, it wasn't actually the place's fault. The 'Oakwood Lodge' was actually a pretty good place. Nice and warm despite the cold outside, a welcoming atmosphere and good food wrapped up in a building constructed like a very large old time log cabin. There was a reason he often ate out here after a long day of his routine.

It was the _people_ he was having trouble with. More specifically, it was their conversations.

"I'm telling you, those animals have gotta learn their damn place."

"Seriously, they aren't wearing chains anymore, right? What do they have to complain about?"

"Maybe they should just be deported back to Menagerie again. Saves us the trouble of listening to them complaining."

The conversation was between a trio of male patrons using a table in the corner. They looked young, probably only a few years older than his avatar, 19 to 20 at most. They hadn't ordered any food, but they'd been ordering drinks since before Joshua had even arrived. They were obviously pretty smashed.

They were also having a blatantly racist conversation in such loud voices that the other patrons were getting uncomfortable. Joshua could actually see some people inching away from them, some going so far as to scrape their tables on the floor. This was just a recipe for trouble.

Honestly, Joshua couldn't really understand what they found so _wrong_ about Faunus to consider them worth so much discrimination. When it came down to it, they were really just people with a few extra body parts, like a tail or an extra pair of ears. Hardly worth waging a hate campaign over.

Then again, humans had never failed to find excuses to hate _each other_ , even over silly stuff. Whether it was culture, social norms, religion, national pride or even something as pointless as skin color, people always found ways to demonize and hate everyone else.

In lieu of that, racism over something like having a tail was disturbingly easy to believe.

Still, they weren't causing any actual trouble besides the noise. Besides, he was hungry. Joshua came to get something to eat and he was gonna do just that.

His food seemed to be taking some time to arrive, though. Were they busy today? Nah, not enough customers inside, must've been something else.

With nothing better to do, he decided to take care of the new points he'd gained, and dropped them straight into Wisdom. The resulting announcement didn't even surprise him, he'd seen this particular message before.

 **Congratulations! By raising your Wisdom to 50, you have unlocked the Skill: Elementalist!**

 **Elementalist (Passive) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **People speak of the elemental forces as if they were chaotic and beyond control. You know better, that, while they may not be truly controlled, they may still be harnessed. It is merely a matter of will.**

 **Effect: The power of all Elemental Skills and attacks are enhanced, granting a 20% increase to damage and 10% cost reduction in use. Effect will intensify as the Skill develops.**

Oh yeah, he'd seen this particular message before. It was a Skill he often got for many of his Character Builds. People tended to think that Elemental Skills were only useful to Builds revolving around Dust, but that couldn't be further from the truth. While Dust users might get some more out of the Skill due to their focus, many different Builds could benefit from it. Such as people with Element wielding weaponry, which was actually a rather common practice for physically oriented combatants.

Not to say he wasn't interested in getting some Dust for his own use. It was a _very_ potent resource in battle, after all. The problem was that he wasn't sure _how_ to get it. You needed a special license to legally buy dust, a license he couldn't get due to being…..well, he wasn't exactly a Persona non Grata, but his lack of any identification didn't make him much better.

"Sir," someone said, pulling Joshua from his musings. "Your order is ready."

The server set down a deep plate of Browned Beef Stew. A deep and savory broth filled with peas, carrots, potatoes and, of course, _very_ well browned beef. There was literally _nothing_ that tasted better in the cold days of the year than good hot food.

…No. He did _not_ cry a few tears of joy at the sight. Shut up!

"Thank you," he told the server, an elderly man with a slightly balding head, as he gave him an early tip of 50 lien.

Unfortunately, fate chose that time to interrupt. Because the moment before the man could even thank him, there was a quick scream and brief crashing sound from behind him. ' _Oh, come ON!_ '

"What the hell, bitch?!" A certain _familiar_ voice called out. Turning around, Joshua noted, unsurprised, that it was one of the noisy trio. He'd rather violently stood up and accidentally sent some of the beer mugs on the table crashing to the floor.

He was also towering rather menacingly over another server. A female with long, light brown hair. And a Faunus, if her wolf ears and tail were any indication.

Oh boy, he just _knew_ this was gonna get ugly. These guys were drunk and angry, always a bad combo, and it would be even worse now that they had a Faunus to take it out on. Judging from the look on her face, the Faunus knew that too.

"I-I didn't do anything," she desperately defended, trying to back away from the drunken man but only ending up against the wall.

"Oh, really," the offender asked, voice low and dangerous. "So now I'm a liar, huh!?" He raised his left hand up against the wall, trapping her. "I heard you muttering, you got something to say? Come on! Spit it out already ya damn freak!"

He raised another hand, his right, and curled it into a fist. His intent couldn't be clearer to the people looking at him, jeered on by his friends.

"Yeah, get 'er!"

"Punch her lights out!"

His curled fist shot out, aiming right to the face of the defenseless and cowering Faunus. She couldn't move, couldn't escape, and couldn't fight back. She just stood there, wide eyed, as the fist descended before she closed her eyes.

But the hit never landed.

Opening her eyes, she saw another hand holding the man's fist in place, mid swing. Following the arm of the hand back to its source body, she saw the one who stopped it.

Joshua shot across the room the moment he saw the man curling his hand into a fist, catching it before it was even fully extended.

' _Damn. I'm actually getting pretty fast._ '

Shoving the man's fist out of the Faunus' face, her assailant stumbled back slightly before regaining his balance.

"What the fuck!?" the man questioned, still looking at Joshua like he'd appeared out of nowhere. Which, in all honesty, he kinda did. Unfortunately, the confusion was quickly replaced by anger when he regained his bearings. "Stay outta this!"

"No."

"What was that!?"

"Are you deaf from all the beer? I'm staying right here." Ooh, a rhyme.

….Ugh, a rhyme. He desperately hoped nobody would notice.

The man was apparently too drunk to get the message (and fortunately the rhyme). It wasn't helped when his two buddies rose from the table to back him up, eager for a fight themselves. Looks like he was their new target.

Looking at the shaking Faunus beside him, he decided it was better than the alternative. These guys would really hurt her. On the other hand, they couldn't hurt Joshua no matter how hard they tried. Their Levels were all in the single digits, and their Stats were pathetic regardless. Unless he literally stood still and let them start pounding on him, he couldn't see these guys winning. Hell, even if he _did_ stand still, they might not beat him regardless.

The guy to the man's right spoke first, "Oh, you wanna fight dude? There's three of us, do the math."

"I have," Joshua answered calmly, unafraid. "The numbers _might_ make it a little more difficult."

This time it was Tweedle D, "Hear that, guys? The kid's scared."

Scared? Yeah right. Maybe he should be clearer this time.

"Makes it more difficult to choose whether I should beat you up one at a time or thrash all three of you at once."

That got their attention. The three suddenly stopped smiling and started looking at him like he'd suddenly become the strangest thing in the room. In all honesty, he definitely was. Just not in the way they were probably thinking.

After a moment of silence, the apparent leader of the small group decided to speak. "What? What the hell does that mean?"

Joshua's smile was cold enough to free water and sharp enough to cut the ice. "Well, beating you guy's one at a time is just safer. For you, not me. After all, when I'm only fighting one of you, I can knock you out leisurely, no rush. All at once is harder, I have to keep my punches in check or I might seriously hurt you. Y'know, broken jaw, broken rips, punctured organs, concussions or skull fractures. I might kill one of you by accident."

The whole restaurant went quiet at his declaration. All of the customers were staring at him now, some of them bug-eyed. He noticed the Faunus server was staring too, but he didn't pay them any mind.

His attention was focused on the three guys that had caused the commotion. Pinning them in place with his eyes, _daring_ them to call his bluff. These guys were nothing, and he was making sure they knew it.

"You're bluffing." That was the leader, the one in front who started the whole scene.

"Then call me on it."

Silence reigned, everyone in the building standing or sitting stock still. They couldn't bring themselves to move, not with the tension thick in the air. All they could do was wait until it was over. Until one side gave.

The trio gave first, their leader shooting him one last glare before he turned to leave. His two goons followed behind him, shooting him some nasty looks of their own.

Joshua didn't care. They couldn't do _anything_ to hurt him.

The three of them left the building, the last one slamming the door on his way out.

For a moment, nothing happened. Nobody made a sound, nobody moved. It's like everyone was frozen in time even as Joshua walked back to his table.

The, once Joshua reached his table and moved to sit down, he was surprised when a lone clap sounded through the building. A slow one, from somewhere he couldn't see.

Then more people started clapping and an applause slowly built up, interspersed with occasional shouts of "Good job" "Nice one" and "That was a gutsy move".

So Joshua just did what he thought any stereotypically _cool_ dude would do. He quietly sat down and started eating like he couldn't hear a thing. For crying out loud, _cool_ guys walked away from explosions without even looking back, no way they'd respond to clapping.

The other patrons just clapped even harder.

oOoOoOoOo

Joshua was patting his stomach in satisfaction, walking back to his apartment after dinner. "Damn that food was good."

After the little debacle in the 'Oakwood Lodge', Joshua was finally able to sit down and eat. Fortunately, the clapping died down after a while. Some people still shot a few curious or impressed looks at him, but he largely ignored them.

The Faunus he'd helped though, couldn't seem to stop staring at him. She was probably surprised anyone had helped her at all and was trying to think up some way to thank him. He remembered some guy in a suit had talked to her before she left. Left too early for it really be the end of her shift. Maybe it was the manager letting her off early.

Well, at least she was safe.

Strolling back to the 'Winters Rest', Joshua started thinking over his immediate plans. He was getting stronger, but he still had a _long_ way to go before he was strong enough to be even remotely safe in this world. Moving further off into the forests was an idea, but that carried some risks. He didn't want to have another close call like with the Adult Beowolf. There was a difference between confidence and recklessness. Besides, going out too far meant he'd take more time to get back to town. That meant extra proble-"AAAHH!"

He almost tripped on his next step. What the hell was with that scream? Where did it come from?

Focusing on his hearing, Joshua tried to hear the source. There was only a few sources of sound around this late at night, so it wasn't hard to hone in on the apparent source. There wasn't another scream, though. Just the sounds of struggling and….whimpers?

Gagged whimpers.

He shot off in the direction of the muffled sound, fearing the worst. He'd long since developed an appreciation and fear for irony, and he had a good idea of what this was gonna be.

His suspicion was confirmed as he finally tracked the sound to an alley away from any major population centers. Dark and out of the way, it was the kind of place that you saw all the time in the crime scenes of old crime dramas.

Because, right in front of his eyes, was the three trouble makers from the 'Oakwood Lodge'. Pinning the Faunus who worked there down on the ground. Gagged and struggling as one of them was ripping at her clothes with his pants pulled down.

"You guys just don't learn, do you?"

They startled slightly at his voice, their eyes turning his way. Not that they'd recognize him right away, he could actually smell the alcohol coming off them. If they were smashed before, they were practically _blind and deaf_ from what they've been drinking now.

The one with his pants down, their apparent ringleader, let out a drunk hiccup and recognized him. "You? What're you doing here, jackass?"

Joshua's voice came out as an angry growl. "Apparently, I'm seeing you guys about to commit a felony." He cracked his knuckles. "You might wanna stop now."

"You kiddin'," the leader challenged with a lopsided grin. "Things are about to get fun." He punctuated his statement by slapping the face of the Faunus beneath him, causing her to let a pained cry from behind the gag in her mouth. "It's sooo fun putting these animals in their place, y'know? So nice hearing them squeal lik"- _Smack._

He was interrupted by Joshua dashing down the alley fast as a bullet and slamming his head into the wall.

It was, in retrospect, pretty hard to talk when you were unconscious with your head rammed against a wall of concrete. The poor guy might even have brain damage. Then again, Joshua didn't particularly care about that right now.

"You're right," he said, his voice a chilling calm as he stared at the other two guys. They were wide-eyed now, staring. Scared.

Good.

"It really is fun putting _animals_ in their place. Maybe I'll do it right now."

The effect was immediate, the two older teens letting go of the Faunus beneath them as they attacked him in a panic.

The first tried to hit him with a sloppy punch, easily caught in Joshua's hand as he gave him a **Hook** to the Solar Plexus. Nasty place to get hit. He'd probably have breathing problems for the rest of his life, but that wasn't really Joshua's concern.

The next guy pulled out a knife and tried to stab him. Against some normal person, it might've worked. But against Joshua? The blade stopped and bent to the side on contact with his Aura.

The goon looked dumbly at his bent knife for a while, wondering just what happened. He didn't even notice Joshua's leg moving.

Now, let it be said, Boxing revolved around _punches_ , not kicks. That's just how it was designed. But what most people didn't seem to realize, was that a Boxers legs were just as _strong_ as their arms. The majority of a punch's power actually came from the legs and lower body, learning to throw good punches meant you were also strengthening your legs as a byproduct.

And this guy found that out the hard way as Joshua's shin connected to his crotch. All the strength and power of his leg being brought to bear in his most vulnerable point. The best part? Critical Hits in the original game, and this world here, weren't decided by chance, but by attacking weak points.

So, Joshua had just, literally, given him a Critical Hit to the nads. The rather loud cracking sound was also _extremely_ satisfying.

The end result was actually a little comical. The poor sap seemed to be frozen in time, held up in the air by Joshua's extended leg with his eyes wide open and his mouth held in a silent scream of agony.

The high-pitched squeak of " _Mommy_ _"_ as he slid off Joshua's leg just added to the moment.

Looking down on the three, Joshua lowered his leg and wondered if he should be feeling guilty. He beat these guys _badly_. They would probably have serious health complication for the rest of their lives. Shouldn't he regret that?

Taking a moment to look at the shivering Faunus on the ground, he decided that, no, he didn't need to regret it. These guys crossed a line, a big one. They deserved what they got. Probably deserved worse, in fact.

But enough about them. Some else needed his attention.

"You alright?" he asked the Faunus below, gently. "Did they hurt you?"

She was shivering, maybe from the cold? Or maybe shock. Joshua took off his coat and draped it around her, causing her to briefly freeze. Unsurprising, considering what just happened. Taking a moment to calm down, she slowly pulled the coat closer to herself, as if using it as a veil to hide from the world.

"I'm okay," she whispered. He barely heard her, and her voice sounded stilted slightly. But she was responding now, and her shivering had calmed slightly. "Y-you stopped them before they could…before they could…." She couldn't finish.

"Do you need to see a doctor? Would you like some help getting home?" It was best to speak to her calmly, try to get her to talk a little. To keep her thoughts from lingering on what just what happened.

She hesitated, as if unsure if she should even speak. "M-my leg hurts a little. They kicked it hard when…."

"Is there a doctor nearby?" He asked. He had to diver the conversation away from what _almost_ happened to something they could do to _fix_ the shock. Something to keep her occupied.

"….Yes," she answered, a little more life in her voice this time. "There's a doctor not far from here. He treats people out of a clinic in his house."

"Would you like to go there?" He couldn't come across as too forceful. She needed to make the choice herself, be assertive. It would help her get over the shock.

She took a moment to think it over. She was probably a little tor over getting herself fixed up or just getting somewhere she felt secure. Either way, it had to be _her_ choice. Fortunately, it didn't take her long to make her choice.

"I think I'd like to go to the doctor."

Joshua nodded in assent, offering her a hand. She stared at it for a moment, as if she wondered if it was even real. But, after a moment, she reached out and took it, allowing him to help her up.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

Her response was a brief nod before she almost stumbled out of the alley. Whoever this doctor was, Joshua hoped he was a good one. Her leg definitely wasn't doing too well.

Hearing a low groan behind him, Joshua turned a grimace on the three punks behind him. Maybe he was feeling a little more vindictive than he thought, because he suddenly got a very _evil_ idea. He'd pretty much castrated one of them already, his balls were either past or somewhere up in his chest cavity. Might as well spread the attention.

"Wait outside the alley," he called out. "I've got something to do."

oOoOoOoOo 5 Minutes Later oOoOoOoOo

"You sure this is the place?" Joshua inquired, looking up at what apparently counted as a small mansion. If this guy was really a doctor, he was either damn good or got extra money on the side.

"Yes," the Faunus, Lori, answered. She'd given her him her name on the walk over. "This is the place. Doorbell?"

He nodded in affirmative, heading up to ring it. She might be walking, but he left leg was still pretty bad. Chances are she couldn't get up the stairs without wincing.

After ringing the doorbell, Joshua stood in front of the house and waited for a response. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the shuffle of feet and a hurried "Just a moment!" to signal somebody was coming. After a moment of hearing the locks and tumblers in the door twist to open, he finally saw the apparent doctor in person.

He was tall, for one thing, and had his dark blonde hair in a ponytail tied at the back of his neck. His eyes were blue and seemed slightly sunken in, like he hadn't gotten much sleep recently. In fact, his body showed a few signs of exhaustion and lack of sleep in general. Was this guy really a doctor?

But that was all secondary to something else Joshua noticed.

 **Andrew Hamilton**

 **The Hands That Support the Armies**

 **Lvl. 92**

"Hello, do you need any-"he spotted Lori still standing in front of his house. Particularly how she favored her right leg and was currently draped in Joshua's coat to ward off the cold. "Oh. Come on, my clinic is in the attached building. We should go there."

Joshua and Lori followed him around, Joshua himself helping when her leg gave her trouble. He moved stiffly, though, like his limbs were suddenly made of wood. And who could blame him? This Andrew guy had the highest level he'd seen yet. Hell, he even had a _Title_!

Unlike in other game, a Title in 'World of Remnant: Online' wasn't something you just got from a quest or killing an enemy. It was a long, personal, and extremely intricate process. Reflecting a combination of the characters personal Level, combination and Level of Skills, their Semblance, and their own personal accomplishments and uses of their abilities. As a result, not two Titles were ever really alike, albeit some may have had similarities.

It also meant that this guy was _WAY_ more than just a doctor.

After following the man around to a smaller attached building on the side of his house, they entered into a place that wouldn't have been out of place in a real hospital.

Joshua didn't personally recognize all of the equipment by name, but he'd seen enough real-life examples to know they were genuine. The place even had that sterile hospital smell from the chemicals down. Whatever else this Andrew guy may have been, he was definitely a doctor.

Walking in further, the man led them to a room with a series of comfortable beds lined against the wall. How cozy.

"Lori, just lie down on one of these beds and we'll get started."

Joshua quirked an eyebrow. That's it? Lie down and let's get started? Shouldn't there be more to it than that?

Ignorant to his confusion, Lori crawled onto a bed on the right-hand side and lay down, Andrew walking over.

When Andrew put his hands to her leg and it started _glowing_ , Joshua liked to imagine his eyebrows _didn't_ actually skyrocket off of his forehead in surprise.

"It's my Semblance," Andrew said, apparently aware of his shock somehow. Did the guy have eyes on the back of his head, or did he get this reaction often? "I can link with the Aura's of other people and, for lack of a better term, bolster them. Make them stronger, faster, make their injuries heal much more quickly. It's quite useful."

True to his words, the effects on Lori were immediate. Her injured leg was mending and healing right before Joshua's eyes in a corona of pale green light. In a matter of less than fifteen seconds, her leg was completely healed. Then, Andrew moved onto her other injuries, all the scrapes and bruises. In less than a full minute, Lori was as good as new.

"There you go, Lori." Andrew comforted, smiling down at her on the bed. "Is there anything else? Any lingering aches or pains?"

Lori shook her head. "No. No, I'm fine now."

"Would you still like to go home? Or would you rather stay here for the night?"

She glanced down. "…..Is it okay if I stay? I don't want to go out right now."

"Of course."

Turning away from her, Andrew walked back to Joshua and his expression changed immediately. His formerly comforting smile was replaced with a straight line and his eyes turned cold. "Come with me to the living room."

Somehow, Joshua just knew he couldn't refuse.

oOoOoOoOo

Andrew released a deep sigh. "So that's what happened."

After making sure Lori was comfortable, Andrew led Joshua back to the living room of the main house. The inside was just as impressive as the outside, all hard and finished wood. With a large fireplace in the wall and a good sized coffee table, it was like any of those well off Victorian style designs. The furniture alone would probably be enough to pay for his apartment room for several _years_ , all of it well-crafted and maintained.

Currently seated on a _very_ comfortable leaning chair, Joshua had just explained exactly what had occurred between him, Lori and the three people he'd smacked around. He was careful to leave out the part at the end though. No point in making this guy wince.

Which made Andrew's next choice of words all the more surprising.

"You should've just killed them," he said simply. His tone as flat as a board.

If his objective was to make Joshua cough up the coffee he'd been offered, he _almost_ succeeded.

Joshua's words still came out as a slight croak. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"You should've just killed them," Andrew replied, his tone still level as before. It's like he was talking about the weather rather than suggesting Joshua should've committed a triple homicide. He raised an eyebrow in question. "Does that sound so strange?"

"Yeah, actually." Okay, this guy _definitely_ wasn't just a doctor. "You're supposed to be a doctor, right? Y'know, Hippocratic Oath? Supposed to help, not hurt?"

Andrew shrugged. "Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes cure a disease, sometimes heal an injury, sometime put down a dangerous criminal before he can hurt anyone. It's like removing a cancer. Besides, I never took the Hippocratic Oath."

The kettle in the kitchen started whistling, showing Andrew's tea was ready. Joshua just watched as he rose and headed into the kitchen to fetch himself a cup.

' _Something is definitely up with this guy_.'

Seriously, there was just something really _off_ with him. Joshua couldn't put his finger on it, but somehow, he _knew_ there was something different about him. Call it paranoia but he just didn't _feel_ like someone normal. His level, the way he acted, this mansion, and of course there was his _Title_. If Joshua didn't know better he'd think….no way.

' _Is he really a…_ ' Joshua couldn't even finish the thought. It just seemed so _out there_ that it couldn't possibly be right. But if it was…

"Hey, Mr. Hamilton?" Joshua shouted. He might as well give it a try.

"Just call me Andrew," was the reply from the kitchen, the whistling of the teapot finally dying down. "What is it?"

Here it goes. "Have you ever heard of World of Remnant: Online'?"

….

(Crash)

Joshua heard whatever cup Andrew held fall and shatter on the floor. A sound quickly followed by rapid footsteps as the doctor rushed out of the kitchen to stare at him wide-eyed. Joshua imagined his own expression was much the same.

If anyone saw them both at that point, they'd have caught the amusing sight of the two of them pointing at the other and shouting, "YOU'RE A PLAYER!?"

 **xXx**

Oh, that's right. I never actually said Joshua was the only Gamer in the fic. How forgetful of me.

Also, if any of you may have noticed something up with the numbers in Joshua's stats, specifically his HP/AP/Stamina bars and the boosts from the associated stats, there's a reason for that. I originally planned for his Stats to increase the three bars at percentages, but then I started running into problems. If I was originally going to improve the three bars by 5% per point, what would the 5% actually mean? Fife percent of the original 100? If that's the case, why didn't I just write it as improving the associated bars by five points per point, in addition to the obligatory ten new points on each bar per level after level 1? Then, I tried making it 5% of the current total, which led to all kinds of calculation problems.

Eventually, I settled on this. 10 new points into the HP/AP/Stamina bars per level after 1, and 15 points per point in the associated stat. Then it became much easier. I also did some error fixes on the previous chapters and realized something. There's something wrong with the document and chapter uploads. Look at the writing carefully, and you'll realize there's only one space after every period instead of two. In fact, I haven't actually _seen_ any double spaces on any of my posted chapters. Weird, right?

Anyways, hope you folks liked the chapter, it was a real doozy to write.


	5. Well, Back To The Grind

Chapter 5

 **Well, Back To The Grind**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

 **Hello –** Game Text/Game Options/Skills

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Andrew Hamilton oOoOoOoOo

Andrew always prided himself on his unflappable demeanor. His ability to remain calm even in the face of surprises and turnabouts that would leave anyone else shocked. That wasn't to say that he was _completely_ unflappable, he still had limits to what he could keep a straight face at. But, by and large, such things tended to be _really_ big.

The moment he discovered he was stuck here, in this incredible game that suddenly became a very _real_ world, happened to be one of those moments. He couldn't even count how many times he tried to use the Menu to find a log out option. He sat here, in this very chair of his virtual home, opening and closing it for at least five minutes.

He panicked. For one of the very few times in his life, he honestly and genuinely panicked. He started rushing from one room to another, trying to find any indication that this was just some glitch or programming error that he could log out from. When nothing was forthcoming, he started getting desperate as it started to sink in that there was really no way out.

Coming down from his panic roughly half an hour later, he started organizing his thoughts regarding this new revelation. It was something of a coping mechanism for him, getting his thoughts and intentions into order. He always worked best when he'd had a moment to think everything through and come up with a plan.

Since then, his primary focus had been on centralizing all of his resources. That was easy, due to his memory. Every time he made a new Avatar and established a bank account, he'd make sure to memorize the numbers. That helped a lot, because it allowed him to transfer all the lien from every account besides this one into the bank account of his _current_ Avatar. That went a long way towards guaranteeing his financial stability and security.

After securing his finances, he turned his attention towards something more personal. His _physical_ security. He was at a decent level, and his Skills and Semblance were very developed, so he didn't feel much need to worry about it. Still, he made sure to store up a rather _substantial_ amount of Dust for extra firepower. The Avatar he was using right now was a fragile one, better suited for support roles or long range bombardment with Dust based attacks.

He also called out a few contacts to see if anyone on his friend list was also in the new world. Thank _GOD_ the Chat and Messaging functions were still available. He only found one response, but he knew who it was. An old friend he often played with in the game, they'd done quite a bit of grinding together on their Skills and Levels.

Feeling adequately secure and defensible, he was finally able to relax and start doing what his Avatar did best. Healing people.

Andrew Hamilton wasn't exactly his strongest Avatar, but he still held a particular place in his heart. He'd always dreamed of being a doctor. Of saving lives and creating medical breakthroughs. Of bringing people back from the brink of death to have a new lease on life.

But it was impossible for him in real life. He had no money or resources to actually afford going to the schools for the necessary teaching. Oh, he did everything he could in spite of it, though. Reading medical textbooks of so many kinds, sometimes several times over to remember it all, quizzing himself on what he'd read in the books. Bu he could never _really_ be a doctor.

That's why Andrew Hamilton was his favorite Avatar. When he awakened his Semblance and discovered its potential for healing, it felt like a dream come true. Remnant became more than an escape for him, it became the world the honestly wanted to live in.

Honestly? If he could've picked any Avatar to use while he was stranded here, it was Andrew.

He thought he was ready for pretty much anything. He thought there was nothing left to really surprise him again.

And then another player walked right into his home and asked him about 'World of Remnant: Online'.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

"And _that's_ what I've been doing since I ended up here."

Joshua leaned back into the comfy chair with an audible sigh. When he and Andrew both calmed down from the shock, the doctor sat down and started asking questions. Why was his level so low, how did he want to develop his Avatar's Stats and Skills, what was his Semblance, pretty much everything. Once those questions were done, he asked how Joshua had actually been dealing with finding himself in a game world.

His answer? Grinding. Lots and lots of grinding. Joshua wasn't even ashamed of it, he really needed to get stronger if he wanted to survive. He couldn't afford to be lazy.

The man seemed to flinch a little when Joshua explained just how close he ended up to being dead form the Adult Beowolf, but he kept silent otherwise.

Now that he'd finished explaining, though, Andrew just seemed to stare at him. He was wondering if the guy was having some trouble believing it and Joshua couldn't blame him. There'd been some things in the story that even _he_ had difficulty believing.

After a moment of staring, though, he spoke.

"Let me get one thing straight. Your Semblance is some kind of….Time Manipulation? This **Rewind** Skill?"

The question was hardly unexpected. The man had shown some obvious confusion to it, for good reason given its abilities. Andrew was using an Avatar with a fully awakened Semblance from before this all happened. His Semblance made _sense_ according to the rules of the game. It was even at least vaguely believable. Joshua's Semblance, though? It made absolutely _no_ sense if you were going by the rules of the original game. He still had some difficulty wrapping his head around it and he'd been practicing with it since he'd unlocked it.

"Yeah, it's Time Manipulation. I don't know how it's _possible_ , but that's how it is. Maybe unlocking it _here_ after everything became real changed the rules somehow, I dunno. Either way, I've essentially got a Semblance that _couldn't_ have worked before."

Andrew nodded. "Odd, but not necessarily _bad_. It certainly helps your survivability." He looked thoughtful as he mulled it over, before getting a slight glint in his eye. "Can you pull back other people?"

Joshua shrugged. "Maybe? I've tested that trick on Grimm, but I haven't tried it on people yet. It seems kinda risky."

"That it does," Andrew conceded, nodding. "But we have a defense that the Grimm lack. Our Aura. And the creatures still came out of it alive and in one piece, right?"

"….Yeah?" Joshua wasn't sure if he liked where this was going.

"Then how about you test it on me?"

Joshua couldn't help it. He stared bug-eyed at the man like he'd suddenly grown a second head. Seriously, did he _really_ just say that? "You know what you're asking me, right? You might not come out of it alive."

"But _you_ do," Andrew pointed out, pointing at him for emphasis. "Your Semblance pulls _you_ back safely every time. It also pulled the Grimm back safely every time. Therefore, **Rewind** itself isn't damaging to something with or without an Aura." He leaned back in his chair. "Besides, it's only a matter of time before you need to pull _someone_ back with you, so it'd be best to find out any effects _now_. My own AP is _much_ higher than yours and I have a number of healing Skills in addition to my Semblance. If anyone could be called a safe test subject, it would be me."

Joshua bit back a grimace. He didn't want to admit it, but Andrew had a point. There was a very good chance that he might have to use **Rewind** on people in the future. Whether it was to help or ambush them was secondary, but he _needed_ to know how it affected other people. Something he'd never learn by just testing on Grimm.

And maybe, just _maybe_ , he was kinda curious too.

"You're sure you'll be okay?" Joshua asked. He needed to be sure.

"Reasonably so. I wasn't kidding about being a safe test subject."

…Alright, he asked for it. Rising up from his chair, Joshua held out a hand. "Get up and hold my hand."

Rising from his own seat, Andrew looked like he was holding back the urge to _skip_ as he moved. Circumventing the table between them, he reached out and grabbed Joshua's hand. Taking a moment to manifest his Aura, he nodded his head in the affirmative. "Do it."

Joshua activated **Rewind**.

oOoOoOoOo Andrew Hamilton oOoOoOoOo

Andrew wasn't entirely sure _what_ happened. He wasn't even sure how to describe what this felt like. He _thought_ he could actually _feel_ time as it flowed pas him, but…in reverse? He couldn't even perceive what the passage of time felt like when it was flowing normally, but he somehow _felt_ this.

His consciousness seemed to both shrink and expand as his body underwent the shift, unsure of what to do. He felt like he was in two places, to _times_ at once! How could you describe that?

Then his consciousness seemed to shoot around like a rubber band and he could swear he felt an intense vertigo. Hs mind churning as it tried to keep up with what was happening, twisting and turning like a car doing donuts in an empty lot. Seeing this way and that, hearing things that were and weren't there, feeling where he wasn't touching anything. For a moment, he'd thought he'd actually gone insane!

And then it stopped. His consciousness suddenly snapping back to _now_ in his body as it finally seemed to find a _where_.

"Alright, that was it. Uh, are you okay? You're looking kinda pale."

Andrew couldn't help it. He keeled over and threw up on his own floor, barely missing Joshua's shoes.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Andrew glared up at him as he kneeled on his own floor, trying to clean up the vomit. More specifically, he was glaring at Joshua's lopsided grin. "It's not _that_ funny."

"You're right," he quipped. "It's hilarious."

He had to hold back laughter when Andrew glared at him even harder, trying to burn a hole through him with his eyes. ' _Actually, with his level he might actually pull it off._ '

Sobering thought. Sobering enough that he actually stopped the bubble of laughter in his throat. He didn't _think_ Andrew would kill him over a laugh, but he might as well be cautious.

Andrew seemed to realize his train of thought, because his glare quickly faded and he tried to change the subject as he turned back to the cleaning. "Regardless, we have an answer now. You _can_ pull people back with you, but I'd recommend against it unless you're _very_ desperate. I'm surprised, though, that it doesn't affect you so badly. Then again, it _is_ your own Semblance."

Joshua nodded. "Probably, but I've been practicing with it a lot. Maybe I've just gotten used to it."

"Possible," Andrew conceded. "Not something I want to test further, though. I feel no shame in admitting I don't consider vomiting to be a hobby."

Joshua shuddered, imagining somebody who actually _did_ consider it a hobby. "I think I'd lose some faith in humanity if it made someone who _did_."

Andrew's only response was a terse nod.

After cleaning up the mess he made on the floor, Andrew beckoned Joshua back to the seat he was using before the whole debacle started. Probably for the best that they left this incident behind them.

"Anyway," Andrew spoke, "we got off topic. I believe we were talking about more important things. Like how you planned to develop this new Avatar."

"I've got a basic plan for it," Joshua admitted. "It's still too early to know all the long term results, but I'm gonna focus on a Build focused on Wisdom and Intelligence. More Wisdom means more AP, more AP means both more points in a second HP bar and more fuel for **Aura Strike** and any Dust based attacks I'll get in the future."

"So you'll essentially be a _Wizard_ type build."

Wizard build. A term kept from the days of the first RP games, back when it was nothing but boards on the table. A character that focused on raining spells from afar and laying waste to enemies before they got close.

"Almost." It was close to what he had in mind, but it didn't entirely fit. "I'm mostly using Wisdom to increase my survivability and hitting power in a double gain. I might start focusing on ranged abilities later, but my most damaging moves are melee based right now. It would be a bad idea to ignore that, especially as it develops. So I think I'll have a bit of both worlds."

"A Hybrid build?" Andrew thought over the idea for a moment, turning it over in his head. "Not a bad idea, but that's a _very_ long term plan. You won't be getting there for a while, I'm guessing. And getting Dust would be a _big_ hurdle"

Joshua bit back a grimace. Andrew was right about that. Besides all the time and risks that would be involved with leveling up, getting Dust would be _very_ difficult. It's not that he was lacking in the money to buy it, he had more than enough money, the problem was that he'd need a special license to show he was certified. A license that was impossible to get without an ID and official citizenship in one of the Four Kingdoms.

Andrew must've seen the frustration in his expression, because he broke out in a smile. "Fortunately, I can help with that."

Joshua blinked, stunned. "What?"

"I said I could help you." Andrew rose from his chair and motioned for him to follow.

Rising up, Joshua walked with him as they exited the living room and walked through the house. As they passed through the halls and by the doors, Joshua couldn't help but wonder what Andrew had in mind. He said he'd help him, but how? Was he gonna help him Level up somehow?

Hs musings were interrupted as Andrew stopped in front of a door on the second floor. "Here we are."

Pulling out a key from his pocket, the tall blond man unlocked the door and moved for Joshua to enter.

Joshua did so and entered….. a study of some kind? It was filled with books of all kinds, new and old alike. It was mildly interesting but…wait a minute.

Rushing towards one of the books, Joshua laid a hand on it and his suspicions were confirmed.

 **You have obtained the Skill Book: Dust Wielder, Nature's Wrath**

 **Store/Use/Return**

Joshua stared down at the book, processing everything. Then he turned to the other books on the shelves the reality sinking in as he turned back to a smiling Andrew. "These are _all_ Skill Books, aren't they?"

Andrew just kept smiling at him.

oOoOoOoOo

"Those are all the books you'll need?" Andrew asked him. He couldn't blame him for the confusion. The guy probably expected him to go nuts and start grabbing everything. To almost literally _eat_ all the Skill Books he possibly could. Honestly, Joshua was a little surprised he didn't. Skills Books meant gaining more options and power, increasing his odds of survival with every gain.

But he had to be practical. Having lots of Skills may be useful and give you more options, but there was such a thing as _too many_ Skills. He didn't want to lose track or start slowing down in a fight just because he wasn't sure if he wanted to use this Skill or that. Besides, he already had an idea for which Skills would be useful for the Build he had in mind.

"Don't worry," Joshua assured him. "This is all I'll need for a good while."

In addition to the first Skill Book about Dust, he'd picked up a few more. Three, to be exact.

 **You have obtained the Skill Book: Archery, Death From Afar**

 **Store/Use**

 **You have obtained the Skill Book: Dust Weaving, A Weapon Within and Without**

 **Store/Use**

 **You have obtained the Skill Book: Ballistics, The Art of Crafting Long Death**

 **Store/Use**

He'd carefully looked through the books and selected the ones with Skills that would best synergize with the Build he had in mind. The Dust Skill Books were pretty much a no brainer. Dust essentially counted as the source of spells in this world, learning to use the necessary Skills would go a _long_ way towards dealing a ton of damage from afar. Allowing him to both be at a safe distance while killing anything before it could get close enough to hurt him. If the fight came down to you being able to hit them without them being able to hurt you, it was pretty much an automatic win.

The Skill Books on Archery and creating ammunition was a bit more difficult. The thought was _very_ tempting, given that the Skills would let him kill things from even further away even faster. The ability to imbue the arrows with dust and literally _fire_ his spells would open up windows to tremendous burst damage. But he just didn't have the means of getting himself a weapon, given that he wasn't-couldn't enroll in an academy to get one made. Much less craft one of his own.

Fortunately, when he expressed this concern to Andrew, the man said he could cover for him by having the weapon made for himself. It took all of Joshua's self-control not to run up and hug the man.

Andrew shrugged. "If you say so. Go on, then."

He didn't even need to ask.

Clicking **Use** for each of the Skill Books, he received a trio of messages to signify his new Skills.

 **Archery (Passive) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **To hit from afar without being hit. This skill has decided the outcomes of some truly desperate battles throughout history. Its masters hailed as the hawk's eye of the battlefield. Train hard, and one day, you may join them.**

 **Effect: Allows better use of 'Bow' type weapons. Increases their power and efficiency as it levels up. Dex is passively boosted by 10% (boosts further in accordance to Skill level). Grants access to 'Archery' Skills.**

 **Congratulations! By unlocking Archery, you have gained access to the starting Skill: Dead Shot**

 **Dead Shot (Active) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **Effect: Pinpoint accuracy aimed towards the most vulnerable spot. This Skill, upon use, guarantees that the next arrow will strike with an automatic Critical Hit. If used on a vulnerable area for Critical Hits, the strength of Dead Shot's Critical Hit will be multiplied depending on the vulnerable area.**

 **Ballistics (Passive) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **Crafting is more than an art. It is a tool and resource to be harnessed. Something that can be used to build or destroy at the crafters desire. The art of crafting ammunition, of bullets and arrows and bolts, belongs in the latter category.**

 **Effect: Allows the user to craft projectile ammunition of greater quality and potency. Effect scales as the Skill continues to Level up.**

 **Dust Weaving (Passive) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **By sewing Dust, Nature's Wrath, into the clothing of the wearer or the materials of their weaponry, Humanity first pushed back the Grimm and ushered in a new era. Now it's your turn to bring this power to bear.**

 **Effect: Allows the user to sew Dust of various elements into clothing or weaponry to imbue it with powers that respond to the will or Aura of the user. Effect scales as the Skill continues to Level up.**

 **Dust Wielder (Passive) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **With Nature's wrath in hand, the young races of the world first gained the ability to fight and push back the darkness. Considered magic by many, Dust still holds properties and powers that have yet to be revealed.**

 **Effect: Allows the user to manipulate Dust to generate great elemental effects for attack and defense. Effect scales as the Skill continues to Level up.**

"Oh yeah," Joshua whispered, giddy at the messages he just received. "This'll go a _long_ way."

"Glad to know you're happy," Andrew quipped with a smile. "I'm sure you'll be even happier to know I can still help even more."

Joshua's head snapped towards him so fast he was surprised he didn't give himself a concussion. " _More_?" He croaked out.

"You still have that Skill, right? **Beginners Luck**?"

 **Beginners Luck (Passive) Lvl. N/A XP: N/A**

 **Whether luck of the draw or a streak of fortune, good things seem to come your way. Use it while you can, because luck never lasts forever.**

 **Effect: Until Level 30, experience from all sources is doubled. Until Level 30, the possessor has a greater chance to unlock Skills in response to training and Danger.**

Yeah, he still had it.

 **Beginners Luck** was the first Skill gained by every new Player Avatar. It was an attempt by Monty to help Players new to the game quickly level up at the start. The intention was to give the new Avatars the ability to quickly breeze past the first 30 Levels and develop their Build to get to the real content of the larger game. Once they reached Level 30, the Skill just vanished.

It was a little controversial when he first announced it. Hardcore gamers considered it a cheap way to Level up and that the beginning grind should've been left as is. New Players, though, praised it as a way to easily build up their Avatars and get to the juicier content.

Either way, it stayed. And Joshua was _very_ grateful for it. **Beginners Luck** was probably the main reason he was still alive. It was why he was lucky enough to unlock both his Semblance and **Aura Strike** when he'd needed them most in that desperate fight against the Adult Beowolf.

"Yeah, I still got it. Why?"

Andrew smiled again. "I have a friend I think you should meet. He's like us. I also think I know a way to help Level up your Semblance quickly while making a fortune."

Oooh. Now _that_ sounded promising.

oOoOoOoOo

"32 Black," Joshua called out, placing his bet on the roulette wheel.

It had been several days since meeting Andrew and he was currently in the 'Silver Fortune' casino. Back when Silberlicht was still being built around the silver mines, a number of profit driven tycoons saw the potential for profits in gambling. Unlike with the people who came to get in on the housing market, however, only one casino was ever made.

The 'Silver Fortune' was built very quickly as the town grew, almost overnight as the owner called in friends and favors to grab the first stake.

Filled with slot machines, card tables, roulette tables, and even having a five star bar and restaurant built in, the 'Silver Fortune' was an instant success.

It was also being a great success for _him_ right now, as the white ball fell in _exactly_ the hole he called out.

"32 Black," said the croupier, all done up in fancy pants finished with a dress shirt and vest. "Like you called it.

The man sounded suspicious as he informed him, but Joshua didn't mind. Calling the exact number and color was definitely suspicious, especially on his first call. But the man handed him his winnings regardless.

Taking all the chips, Joshua headed off to have them cashed and couldn't help but check his Semblance.

 **The Circle of Time (Semblance) Lvl. 24 XP: 59.23%**

Who would've thought Poker, Blackjack and other gambling games could be such an efficient and _profitable_ way to grind his Semblance? He was just a little more work away from gaining a new Skill from it.

Honestly, Joshua should've been slamming his head against the wall for not thinking of this sooner. In fact, he actually _did_ when Andrew suggested it to him. The bastard didn't even try to stop him, just grinning at the scene of him banging his head against the wall.

After Joshua had calmed down enough to listen to the rest of Andrew's suggestion, he once more had to restrain the urge to hug him. Along with the urge to kiss him on the cheek. Now _that_ would've been awkward.

Regardless, Andrew spoke with him further about the chance to rapidly increase his level. He'd need to start grinding levels to get stronger, that's what it all came down to. But to do that, he'd need to fight stronger Grimm and other enemies, and fighting enemies that powerful wasn't something he could really do without punching way out of his weight class.

Andrew didn't go into all the details, but he told him that he had a friend, another Player, who could help. He lived pretty far away, so it would take some time for him to arrive. In the meantime, he could spend time Leveling up his Semblance while making a fortune at the casino.

A fortune he was about to make right _now_.

"Yeah, I'm here to cash this in."

Dropping the cards with his chip number and entrant number, Joshua waited as the man counted the money he was owed by the casino.

"Alright Mr. Bridger," he addressed him, totaling his gain. "That would be 15,000,000 lien."

Oh yeah, Joshua was _so_ happy Andrew gave him this idea.

Taking a moment to have the winnings given as hard cash, he collected it in a briefcase Andrew had given him before exiting the casino. Once he was out of sight, he opened the briefcase and moved all of the newly gained lien into his Inventory. He still didn't have a bank account, probably _couldn't_ get one for quite a while, so he had to keep all of his funds in his Inventory anyway. He decided to store the briefcase, too. It belonged to Andrew and he didn't want to lose it.

After metaphorically pocketing everything, he headed back across town to his apartment to get some sleep.

oOoOoOoOo

He was woken up by the sound of ringing from his phone. Dammit! Who the hell would be calling _now_! It was almost midnight for crying out loud!

Struggling out of bed, Joshua seized his hand towards the phone. He just opened his eyes, so they hadn't had time to adjust to the darkness, yet. He was almost blind from the darkness, just groping towards the noise.

After the seventh ring, he finally grabbed the phone and brought it to his ear with a groan of, "This better be good," to whoever was on the other side.

"My friend has arrived." Andrew!? "Meet us at my house tomorrow at 10:00 AM. We'll start working on grinding when you arrive." And with his message given, Andrew hung up.

…..

"Dammit, now I'm too excited to sleep."

oOoOoOoOo

" _This_ is the greenie you wanted me to help with? His Avatars stats are a damned joke."

Joshua glared back at the man who just dismissed him as a _greenie_. Whoever the person may have been in real life, there was no denying how tall his Avatar was, probably taller than Joshua was in real life, and he stood at over 6 feet. But this guy was easily 6'6.

Tall and very well-toned under the t-shirt he wore, the man was long-limbed and had a mane of wild black hair that fell down the back of his head like the mane of a lion. His face was slightly long and with features sharp enough that he could probably cut ice with his cheekbones or chin, his eyes a piercing silver.

As intimidating as his appearance was, though, it was nothing compared to the rest.

 **Ryou Sawamura**

 **The Shadow That Chases The Light**

 **Lvl. 122**

 **Health Points (HP): 2710**

 **Aura Points (AP): 1810**

 **Stamina: 2710**

 **Strength: 80**

 **Vitality: 75**

 **Agility: 165**

 **Dexterity: 165**

 **Wisdom: 70**

 **Intelligence: 50**

Jesus, if Andrew could kill him by tapping him, this guy could do it by just _breathing_ in his general direction. His stats and Levels were out of this world!

The man seemed to know what he was thinking, because he shot him with a smug smile. "Jealous?"

Oh, he was smarmy, huh? Well, Joshua could play that game too. "Of course not. Who could be jealous of you? That's a face only a mother could love."

Ryou's smile immediately dropped and was replaced with a glare. "Watch it."

"Now, now, everyone," Andrew chided between them, playing peacekeeper. "No point picking fights. We're gonna hunt Grimm for that, remember?"

Joshua and Ryou didn't stop glaring at each other, but they also didn't make any hostile movements. Relaxing a little, Joshua eased his glare and decided to offer an olive branch. No point in being hostile.

Unfortunately, Joshua's idea of an olive branch wasn't what anyone would call traditional.

"Look, I don't know why you've got such a stick up your ass, but it looks like my charming sense of humor isn't helping. Waddaya say we leave this behind us and go kill some Grimm. Y'know, bonding. You don't be an asshole and I won't talk about the forest you're using as an enema. Deal?"

Joshua was pretty sure people on the other side of Atlas could've heard the sound of Andrew's hand slapping into his own forehead.

But, contrary to all common sense, Ryou didn't seem angry at the choice of words. In fact, he seemed oddly pleased if the slight twitch of his lips was any indication. "I think you and I will get along _just_ fine, greenie."

Andrew took a moment to just stare at Ryou in horror.

He facepalmed even harder. "Dear God, they're multiplying."

oOoOoOoOo

Roughly an hour later, far out in the wilds of Atlas, and Joshua was the one staring in horror. Seriously, these guys must've been crazy. They couldn't have been serious about _this_!

He just barely noticed they were smiling in the corner of his vision. _Smirking_ at him, like this was all some big _JOKE_.

Far in front of him, almost a mile away, was the single _biggest_ Grimm he'd seen yet. A Deus Stratta, a Grimm that could put Giant Nevermores and Alpha Death Stalkers to shame. This monstrosity _towered_ over them like a lion among kittens. _AND THESE GUYS WANTED HIM TO KILL IT!_

 **Deus Stratta**

 **Lvl. 102**

' _I think I'm gonna write a book about this,_ ' he thought. Maybe he was going crazy. That wasn't impossible, right? ' _I have just the title in mind. 'My Crazy Friends', by Joshua Bridger. I could even make a series._ '

oOoOoOoOo

Well, here we go again. How's Joshua gonna get outta _this_ one, huh? Stay tuned and find out just what kinda plan his crazy new buddies have in store.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, have a nice day.


	6. Are You Guys Crazy?

Chapter 6

 **Are You Guys Crazy!?**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

 **Hello –** Game Text/Game Options/Skills

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

Joshua could only stare out at the monster far away from him, the gigantic form of the Deus Stratta as it lumbered around like a giant. The huge Grimm towered over any of the trees, standing at over 100 feet tall and was almost literally built like a small mountain, covered in the bony white plating typical of the Grimm.

It was also _WAAAAAAAAY_ out of his league.

"What exactly do you guys want me to do?"

Ryou looked down at him with one of the smirks he was _really_ starting to hate. "Ain't it obvious? We want'cha ta kill it."

Joshua stared at the taller man as if he'd gone crazy. Hell, for all he knew, Ryou probably _had_ just gone crazy. Probably Andrew, too. It would certainly explain why they were asking him to do this.

Switching glances to see Andrew, he was dismayed to find the blonde man giving him a smirk that was a little too similar to Ryou's for comfort.

" _HOW!?_ " He shouted at them. "In case you haven't noticed, that thing is over 70 Levels higher than me. Its Vitality score on its own is higher than all the points I've got in two or even three of my Stats. I could probably spend all day hitting it with my best Skills – _WITH_ Critical Hits- and I wouldn't even take 10% off its HP! Are you both fucking crazy?"

The two other Players shared a silent look, ignoring his outburst. Ryou spoke first, "I thought you said the greenie was supposed to be a smart one."

Andrew shook his head in disappointment. "He certainly seemed to be. Looks like I was wrong. He didn't even give us a chance to explain."

Joshua's eyebrow twitched at their dismissing him. For crying out loud, he was standing _right there_! These guys just _had_ to be trolling him, there was no other…..wait a minute.

"Explain what?" he asked. Did these guys actually have some kinda plan?

Andrew turned to him. "Remember what I told you about my Semblance?" he asked, leading Joshua in.

He nodded. "Yeah. You said it lets you bolster….peoples….." his eyes widened. "No way."

The doctor nodded at him with a smile. "That's right. It can help you pull this off." Standing to his full height and squaring his shoulders, Andrew looked like a teacher about to give a lecture. "My Semblance allows me to link my Aura to someone else's and allow me to bolster or enhance them. With a group of players, I can form a basic network between myself and everyone else to become something of an….administrator. I can connect all their Aura's and essentially create a larger pool of Statistics that I can spread out and manipulate."

Ryou nodded. "That's why I stuck around with this egghead. He's a great leveler if you wanna start hitting out of your weight class right outta the gate."

Andrew didn't even seem offended by Ryou's choice of words. "That's why we wanted to bring you out here to pick a fight with such a powerful Grimm. You still have **Beginners Luck** , so killing this thing will give you twice the XP. At your current Level, it wouldn't be unfeasible for you to shoot up at least 30 Levels at once. Maybe more."

Joshua nodded in realization. "So that's why you wanted to call Ryou. You wanted to make sure I'd get enough of a boost."

The tall Player seemed mildly offended at the implication that been called over just to be a Stat Battery. "He also wanted around somebody fast enough to pull you out if you screwed up."

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Oh. Well, sorry I didn't put that together. Thanks for being my glorified baby sitter."

Andrew coughed, trying to get their attention before things could get heated. "Anyway, you still shouldn't get too cocky. My Semblance goes a long way towards making this easier, but it's not perfect."

Holding up a hand and raising a finger, the doctor made his point. "For one thing, that Grimm is still pretty high Leveled and there are some things my Semblance can't do. The first is that, while it increases your stats, it doesn't unlock the Skill you gain by actually raising them. Your HP and AP will get boosted, but it won't have the added benefits of **Wisdom+** or **Vitality+** "

The Statistic hallmarks. When Players advance their Stats past certain thresholds, they gain an increase to their boasts per point. Ordinarily, a point in Wisdom or Vitality would increase the associated AP or HP by fifteen points, but getting **Wisdom+** and **Vitality+** would mean they'd get increased by _25_ points per Stat point. It was a mechanic meant to encourage people to focus on specialized Stat Builds for the greatest result.

Andrew held up a second finger. "It also doesn't enhance your own Semblance in accordance to mine, or make it more efficient. You'll still be stuck with **Rewind's** usual high cost."

Joshua nodded. He'd expected that one, at least. The first Skill of his Semblance had a cost that was pretty much carved in stone.

Andrew held up a third finger. "Lastly, using my Semblance for long periods of time will drain me. You'll need to kill that thing within a time limit or you might be stranded out there."

Time limit? That could be a bit of a problem. Staring at the Deus Stratta off in the distance, he wondered how many hits it would take to kill with the help of Andrew's Semblance. "How long could you keep it up?"

"Five minutes," he answered. "Maybe ten, if I boost my AP with Ryou's. But it'll be a near thing. Ryou's not just here to provide a Stat boost, he's acting as security if anything goes wrong. You'd be back at Level 20 and I'd have exhausted all of my AP. I don't need to tell you how bad that would be."

He really didn't. This place was much farther out from Silberlicht than Joshua had gone, dozens of miles to be exact. The Grimm around here were also appropriately stronger, being around Andrew's Level at the lower end of the spectrum. If Andrew lost all of his AP while sustaining his Semblance, he could very well get killed by the Grimm here.

Joshua, meanwhile, wouldn't even last a few minutes. Even the Beowolves around here were at _least_ thirty Levels higher than the one that almost killed him when he'd unlocked his Semblance. If he was unlucky enough to be fighting that Deus Stratta at the time, he'd die without even having a chance to run.

With Ryou here, though, the chance of surviving or winning were _much_ more agreeable. His Level was higher than anything else here by at least five. He was pretty sure he could even kill the Deus Stratta without any problems at all. If Joshua was linked to him by Andre's Semblance, not only would his chances to kill the Deus Stratta be much better, but there chances of surviving were much higher as well.

His thoughts were interrupted as the tall Player spoke out, adding his own two cents. "So, essentially, I'm the lynchpin for winning this thing." He lazily waved a hand up and down, like some Monarch demanding subservience. "You can get on your knees and start worshiping me now, subject."

Joshua just went for flipping him off. Then, as Ryou let out a harsh bark of laughter, he added the middle finger from his other hand.

oOoOoOoOo

Joshua raced through the forest to the feet of the Deus Stratta. Not a metaphor, he was literally moving as fast as a racecar, jetting through the dense foliage to head towards the huge feet of the massive Grimm.

' _This is fucking amazing!_ '

Was this what higher Stats actually felt like in this new world? If it was, Joshua was starting to see why Ryou acted like such an arrogant dick. Didn't give him an _excuse_ for being a dick, it just made him a _reasonable_ dick. And Joshua was starting to see the reason very clearly.

Using his massive boost in Agility, he ran straight up the side of the Deus Stratta, punching it with **Hooks** whenever he got the footing. With Ryou's Stat Points focused on his Agility, Strength and Wisdom, this monster was clearly feeling the hits. Something made obvious with the small chunks of that disappeared off its HP Bar with every attack.

oOoOoOoOo Andrew Hamilton oOoOoOoOo

Andrew watched as Joshua ran off like a bullet and headed toward the massive Grimm, careful to keep an eye on his own AP bar. It wouldn't do for him to suddenly run out and leave his new acquaintance hanging, wouldn't it?

Ryou grunted. "Little punk shouldn't get in over his head. If he doesn't kill that thing on his own, I'm gonna be pissed."

"Just have some faith," Andrew encouraged. "He'll be fine. We won't need to interfere." He turned to the side, looking into the trees. "We have uninvited guests."

He didn't really see Ryou move so much as he _felt_ him move. Rushing into the tree line so quickly that Andrew just _barely_ saw the blur of his friend's movement, he heard a number of harsh cracks and snaps in the air before Ryou came back out. Andrew didn't even have time to see what had tried to sneak up on them.

"Ten Ursa," Ryou informed him. "Two of 'em were Ursa Major's. Dead and gone. Didn't bother with the Drops."

It didn't even take him five seconds. Damn, sometimes Andrew forgot just how _scary_ Ryou's current Avatar really was. Built for sheer speed and devastating Critical Hits, his Avatar had an approach to combat that reminded him of the term _Blitzkrieg_. Lightning War.

True to the comparison, Ryou's focus on speed, precision and overpowering Critical Hits made him a terror in a melee fight. Too fast to touch and capable of putting you down in a single hit, even when you were Levels higher, Andrew had yet to see his Avatar even take any damage.

He vaguely remembered him saying it was based off of an anime character, some Ryou Mashiba, but he never really checked it out. His friend said there was something about the character that struck a chord with him and Andrew couldn't help but wonder what it was.

Either way, it wasn't his concern. He was here to get Joshua's Stats up to a point where he could kill the Deus Stratta and he had to watch to make sure nothing happened.

Seeing a sudden dip in Joshua's HP and AP Bars, Andrew whipped around to see what happened. For the love of God, it'd barely been a full minute and…wait, how did it suddenly lose half of its HP? And why did it look like it suddenly wanted to…oh. _That_ happened.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

' _Dammit! That was a stupid move!_ '

He was so caught up on the high from his buffed stats that he started getting arrogant. Rushing up the body of the Deus Stratta, he kept punching out **Overhand** after **Overhand** , **Hook** after **Hook**. The Grimm's HP was dropping, but not quickly enough.

Deciding to speed up his progress, Joshua tried a different tactic than the one he'd thought up originally. Something to deal more damage than just attacking the openings he could find.

He rushed to one of the openings of the bony plate armor that coated its body, hoping to attack it from underneath its own bony plating. He remembered fighting a Deus Stratta using one of his other Avatars, and the spots covered up by their natural armor were universally vulnerable areas. That meant Critical Hits.

Jumping between into an opening under the plating of its back, Joshua felt an immediate difference in the texture of its skin. In areas uncovered by the armor, the skin was extremely tough and leathery, but under the white shells it was noticeably softer. Vulnerable.

He attacked it with the hardest **Hook** he could throw, bolstered by a use of **Aura Strike**.

With all the extra AP he had available from Andrew's Semblance, the Critical hit took nearly a full quarter off the remaining HP of the Deus Stratta, reducing it to roughly half. And he still had around ¾ of his AP left. If he just had a few more hits he could-

His train of thought was interrupted as the plating he was under suddenly started pushing _down_! Shit, it felt like he was being flattened by a pneumatic steel press. He was gonna get crushed! He could even see the pressure slowly causing his HP to bleed away despite having his Aura up. He had to get outta here fast!

Laying his hand flat on the Grimm's hide, he shouted, " **Rewind**!"

As he felt the last three minutes slip back ahead of him, he realized that, in his haste to escape, he dragged the Deus Stratta back with him. ' _Well, this is gonna be great._ '

But after **Rewind** ran its course, the plating that was crushing him suddenly relaxed and he could move again. Did the trip back in time really mess the Deus Stratta up that much? Either way, he was grateful for the reprieve as he escaped.

The creature didn't even seem to notice as he touched down on the ground again, falling from the height of its shoulder-blades. Looking back at the huge Grimm, it seemed like using **Rewind** really threw it for a loop, it was hunched over slightly and apparently trying to hold its lunch down.

 **Congratulations! Through constantly training and Leveling up your Semblance, you've unlocked the new Skill: Fast-Skip.**

 **Fast-Skip (Active x2)**

 **Active(1): The user is able to activate the 'Fast' function of this Skill. By surrounding their body in a field that allows them to move through the acceleration of time, the user is able to reach incredible speeds.**

 **Cost: Costs 25 AP per second of accelerated time. Cost may increase or decrease based on the intensity desired.**

 **Active(2): The user is able to activate the 'Skip' function of this Skill. By manipulation of their physical position relative to time, the user is capable of instantaneously** _ **jumping**_ **from one place in space to another. All obstacles in the path of movement are bypassed, and they gain momentum after the jump as if the physically moved the whole way.**

 **Cost: Costs 50 AP per jump of up to ten feet. Cost may decrease for the use of a shorter jump or increase for a longer one.**

…..Oh, hell. Did he really level up his Semblance? Right now? Sure, he got pretty damn close to reaching that XP mark, but for it to happen now? Maybe **Beginners Luck** had something to do with it, it'd saved his ass before.

Still, even with that, he was still at a pretty hefty disadvantage. He could see the Deus Stratta already regaining itself. It might have lost around half of its HP, but, because of **Rewind** , he'd just gotten down to noticeably less than half of his total AP. The only upside was that coming back three minutes meant that Andrew was now at relatively full strength to keep him empowered, but waiting for his full AP to come back and restart his offensive would take too long.

Dammit! He needed to finish this quickly, he needed some way to kill the damned thing or they all would've come out here for nothing. He had to have _something_ that could…wait, did he?

Pulling up his Inventory, he pulled out something that almost drove him nuts and still left him shaking.

The Adult Beowolf Mask.

The last time he put this thing on, he almost tried to attack Silberlicht and start shredding people.

But it also made him _much_ stronger. He could still remember charging through the forest and plowing clean _through_ whole tree trunks in his mad dash, his body getting more powerful by the second. After having some time to look the incident over, he deduced that the increase in power was connected to whatever the mask did to hi AP. Somehow making him stronger as it consumed it.

Maybe, just _maybe_ , he could pull it off with this. The huge boost he'd gotten to his AP from Andrew's Semblance would keep it from messing with his head too early, and some of his AP had already gotten back. And by using it combined with **Aura Strike** …he just might pull it off.

oOoOoOoOo Andrew Hamilton oOoOoOoOo

Ryou let out an annoyed sigh beside him. "What the hell is taking that greenie so long? He should've killed that damned thing by now."

Andrew had to admit, he was also starting to get a little worried. At some point in the fight, Joshua had decided things were dangerous enough to use **Rewind** and brought the wounded Deus Stratta back with him. Whether it was on purpose or by accident, Andrew couldn't say. Since he did so, however, he didn't really do _anything_. It looked like he was waiting for his AP to fully come back. But what would he use it for?

Ryou grunted in annoyance at the lack of action, moving forward. "That's it. I'm goin' in."

Andrew moved to stop him before noticing something wrong with Joshua's stat window. "Wait! Something's going on."

Stopping in his tracks, Ryou turned his head and shot him a glare. "This _better_ be good."

"His stats are rising. _Fast_."

The tall Player blinked at him. "What? How? You said yourself he doesn't have any buffing Skills, he even told you."

Andrew moved to reply before he saw something else happening to Joshua's stats. More specifically, something that was happening to his AP. He couldn't be sure but it looked like it was getting…..smoky? What did that mean?

Little did he know he was about to get one _hell_ of an answer.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

' _I really hope this works._ '

Joshua had to bide his time for two minutes, waiting for his AP to get back to nearly full before he put his plan into action. He mostly spent that time hiding in the woods, many yards away from the Deus Stratta. The thing had just recovered from the trip through time and was trying to find him, unleashing loud and shattering roars.

The huge Grimm had yet to find him, but little did it know the tables were about to turn.

Taking the mask in front of his face, he put it on and saw through the eyes of the Grimm once more.

' _Holy shit, this feels so weird._ '

Feeling the mask seem to meld onto the curves of his face, Joshua turned around to the Deus Stratta as power flooded his body. His muscles becoming harder beneath his skin, taut and ready to _move_ like cords of steel.

So he moved. Running at the towering Grimm, he rushed forward while activating the **Fast** effect of **Fast-Skip**. Combining it with his massive increase to Agility from Andrew's Semblance, he used all the momentum to rush straight up the gigantic Grimm's back, feeling oddly like he was climbing a mountain.

Glancing a look at his AP, he noticed that it was taking much longer for it to be swallowed up by the smoky lining. Looks like its rate of consumption didn't alter according to his AP. Good.

Focusing more AP into his acceleration, the world sped by him almost as a blur. Running faster and faster, he climbed atop the creature in what seemed like seconds before he shot up off its head.

' _Now comes the hard part._ '

As he reached the top of his ascent, he angled downward into the fall. The momentum granted by using acceleration, his artificial boost to Agility and the strengthening of the Grimm Mask all came together to launch him up almost three hundred feet into the air, right above the Deus Stratta.

Holding his hand out in a punch as he fell, the mountainous Grimm opened its mouth open in a roar of challenge. Daring, demanding him to come back down.

He accepted, falling straight towards it from a distance of three times the monster's height, charging his leading hand with **Aura Strike** , even as the Grimm Mask further strengthened him, even as he used his Semblance to skip ahead several times in his descent as he fell downward into its open mouth.

He impacted with a blinding blue flash generated by the power he fueled into his **Aura Strike** , feeling himself fall clean _through_ the gigantic Grimm beneath him. Feeling its flesh split, its bones shatter as he drove clean through its throat, annihilated whatever passed for its spine on the way down and exiting through somewhere between its tail and back as he hit the ground.

Taking barely a second to make sure his AP was still not entirely consumed, he wrenched the mask off and ran for the trees. He didn't even look back to make sure the Grimm was dead.

Turned out he didn't need to, because its collapsing dead on the ground caused an earthquake big enough to probably let people around for miles know. And that was before the announcement windows.

He didn't bother checking the Loot Bag the Grimm must've dropped, he could come back for it in a minute. He didn't even bother to check how many Levels he got. He already knew he must've gotten _a lot_ , he could find out the exact number later. Right now, he had to get back to Andrew and Ryou to get out of here.

All these new Levels didn't mean anything if another nearby Grimm came by to eat him. He needed to meet back up while his Agility was still buffed up.

oOoOoOoOo Andrew Hamilton oOoOoOoOo

They just stood standing there. Wide eyed and wider mouthed, neither quite believing or comprehending what they both just saw. They _thought_ it was Joshua but….

"Andrew," Ryou breathed out. "Did the _greenie_ really just do that? I mean, really? Did he just kill that thing by falling right _into_ it from the air, glowing like goddamn blue _comet_?"

Andrew nodded dumbly. "Yeah. Yeah, I think he did."

They stood quiet for a while longer before, yet again, Ryou broke the silence. "He's got _a lot_ of explaining to do when he gets back."

oOoOoOoOo

Turns out he and Ryou didn't need to wait long. Joshua emerged from the trees barely a minute after they had spoken, panting and drained, but alive.

And Andrew had _so_ many questions. What happened to his AP bar while he was fighting? What caused the skyrocketing in his physical stats? Why didn't he use it earlier? But, first, they had something else to take care of.

"Joshua," he began, getting the other Player's attention. "How many Levels did you get?

"Let me check," he answered opening his Menu and looking. There was no mistaking the look of surprise on his face when he finished counting. " _HOLY SHIT! HOW CAN I GET SEVENTY LEVELS FROM ONE FUCKING MONSTER!?_ "

oOoOoOoOo ? ? oOoOoOoOo

She impatiently tapped her fingers against the armrest, worried and angry and wondering why this damned transport wouldn't _go FASTER!_

She needed to be there. She needed to find the bastards who did this and make them _pay_! She needed to get to Silberlicht immediately and somehow keep the situation from degenerating.

But most of all, she needed to get her sister back. She had to make sure she was safe and sound. And if those _animals_ so much as touched a hair on her head, there would be a whole frozen Hell to pay.

Absently bringing her Scroll up, she, once again, read the message that pushed her into such a hurry. That broke her icy and impersonal demeanor to bring out the _fury_ underneath.

 _Dear, Winter Schnee_

 _We have your sister. If you want her unharmed, you'll give into our demands and do as we say. Do so, and she'll be returned safely. If not, rest assured, you'll get her back. In pieces._

Winter would be damned before she gave into terrorists like this. She'd be damned if she didn't get Weiss back safely and blame herself forever. She was damned either way.

But so were the people behind this. She'd make sure of it.

"Hang on Weiss. I'm coming."

 **xXx**

Here's the newest chapter, everybody. Sorry for the longer than usual wait, I tried to get some chapters done for my other two fics, and that meant taking some time away from this one. I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Please leave some reviews and I hope you have a nice day.


	7. Drawn Into The Cold

Chapter 7

 **Drawn Into The Cold**

Hello – Text

"Hello" – Talking

' _Hello_ ' – Thinking

 _Hello_ – Emphasis

 **Hello –** Game Text/Game Options/Skills

oOoOoOoOo – Scene Break

xXx – Chapter Start

 **xXx** – Chapter End

'Hello' – Important Title

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Alright, this was a little startling. Joshua expected a lot of Levels from killing the Deus Stratta, especially due to his possessing **Beginners Luck** , but this was just ridiculous. How could killing _one_ monster catapult him up to _Level 90!?_

Well, not _quite_ Level 90. He re-counted the number of Level Up messages a few times to get it right, but he was still at Level 87 now. That was a pretty fucking big leap. It was like a kitten suddenly growing to a full sized tiger after a single meal. Ridiculous.

Still, he wasn't gonna complain about it. He came out here to get stronger and he did. In either case, he now had a total of 335 points waiting to be used, so what was he gonna _do_ with them?

Dumping a lot of them straight into Wisdom was tempting. The only reason he was able to use his AP so freely in the fight with the Deus Stratta was because of the Wisdom buffing he got from Andrew's Semblance, otherwise he would've been drained and killed as it tried to crush him beneath its own plating. It was _always_ helpful to have a big barrier for a second HP bar, to mention how it helped to fuel the **Aura Strike** he used to finish it off. Or the Dust Skills he was gonna start working on when he got his hands on the stuff.

On the other hand, being able to move so quickly had been _amazing_. Being able to move that fast could also go a long way towards surviving by simply better avoiding any hits, not to mention enhancing the potency of **Fast** to accelerate his speed even further. Momentum could also enhance the power of his hits, so it could pull double for the Strength stat in empowering his physical attacks.

Expression slightly twisting in thought, he turned to the two other Players that had escorted him out here and made it all possible. "Any ideas? I mean, I never really expected to get _this_ many Levels and points."

Ryou and Andrew took a moment to share a look and give a simultaneous shrug, the doctor turning to look at him. "They're _your_ points, Joshua. You already had a Build in mind, right? Stick with it and make it work. I'd recommend a focus on Wisdom for the AP gain, something to boost your survivability and offensive options for when you can start using Dust, but it's still your choice."

Ryou looked contemplative, an expression that somehow looked like an odd glare on his face. Was every expression he had just a different variety of glare? "I'd go with Agility, but that's just me." The taller player looked slightly down on him, a look (glare?) of curiosity on his face. "But it looks like you've already got some kinda trick for speed, huh? What the hell _was_ that anyway?"

Joshua was a little reluctant to reply. Andrew had probably already told Ryou about his Semblance, so there was no need to hide it or the new Skill he got from having it Level up. But he _really_ didn't want to tell these guys how he got nearly crushed to death because of his own recklessness.

"It was my Semblance," he answered carefully. "I used **Rewind** to get out of a tough spot and it leveled up. I got a new Skill for it now."

Ryou just kept looking at him with his usual steely expression, but Andrew suddenly perked up at the mention of his new Skill. "What is it? What does it do?"

In lieu of a verbal explanation, Joshua just summoned up his menu and showed them all the page for the Skill itself. A pretty handy feature, in all honesty. It saved a _lot_ of time he'd otherwise be wasting on explanations.

Ryou kept his face in its usual indifferent mask, but Andrew gained a thoughtful look on his features as he looked it over. More specifically, from thinking over the implications. "This is….interesting. I honestly didn't think a Skill like this would manifest from your Semblance." _BEAT_. "Then again, I've never seen a Semblance that manipulates time like yours, so I guess I don't really have a precedent."

Ryou nodded. "The **Fast** Skill doesn't explain too much of the details though. How much faster does it really make you? 1.5 times fast? 2 times? And how does the cost scale to intensity?"

That was…..actually a pretty good question. Joshua wasn't really sure, he'd been more interested in just killing the huge Grimm. Maybe he should experiment a little. He was still buffed by Andrew's Semblance so….

An idea came to mind, causing him to get an evil grin. ' _Oh, this is gonna be good._ '

Activating **Fast** , he rushed straight to Ryou's open side, planning to slip around and behind and- _SMACK!_

He skidded along the ground, on his back, until he landed crotch first into the trunk of a tree. Suppressing a cry of pain at the agony shooting through his balls, he looked back to see just what the hell happened and saw that Ryou's right arm was outstretched like a tree branch. Did the bastard really just _clothesline_ him?

He got his answer when Ryou turned his head to look at him, a singularly _smug_ look on his face. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I just got the sudden urge to stretch my arm out a little. Didn't even notice you running by."

If Joshua was expecting any help from Andrew, whether a bit of healing or just some verbal defense, he was gonna be sorely disappointed. The blond man seemed too caught up in his own bubbling laughter to even make an attempt.

' _I swear, these guys will drive me nuts._ '

OW! Dammit, he just _had_ to think that word.

oOoOoOoOo

A few minutes later –and after Andrew took the time to heal him- Joshua was back on his feet and finding out the details for the two forms of his newest Skill.

After a few dashes while activating **Fast** , he discovered that it roughly doubled his speed upon activation for the base cost of 25 AP per second. His _current_ speed, including any modifiers he was using without the Skill itself activating. One important thing he noticed, though, was that his AP _couldn't_ recharge while he used the Skill. Unsurprising, but then he tried testing just how _much_ faster it could make him. If he pushed to increase his speed further, the cost increased by another 25 AP once he pushed it to a certain point. 25 AP per double his speed, 50 AP per triple his speed, 75 AP per four times his speed and so on. A pretty steep cost increase, given his relatively low current AP, but it should become more manageable. Unlike with **Rewind** , **Fast** didn't have any notification about how the cost couldn't change. Maybe it would get easier as it Leveled up?

Andrew had to deactivate his Semblance before they got to the real testing, but that wasn't too much of a problem. His own AP had increased dramatically as a result of so many new Levels, so he had room for some more experimenting.

His testing the capabilities of **Skip** required a less thorough analysis. The explanation given in the description already told him most of the necessary info, only missing a few details. Still, those details were important, like how the cost scaled for how long he wanted to actually _jump_.

But that was nothing compared to two other discoveries. First of all, he needed to be _moving_ for the Skill to get him from one place to another. He couldn't just stay still and activate the Skill to automatically teleport somewhere, he could only teleport in whatever direction he was actually _moving_. Secondly, he could also take other people with him as he used the Skill, but he needed to be in physical contact with them when he activated it. Thirdly, after coming out of the **Skip** , his momentum would be increased as if he had traversed the intervening space normally.

It was also _incredibly_ satisfying when he managed to grab Ryou and take him for a test drive. Oh, the taller Player glared death at him, but it was much less scary when the guy was upchucking.

Getting between the two of them, Andrew was forced to play peacekeeper again. "Alright, that's enough testing. Joshua, please don't use Ryou as a guinea pig again." His lips quirked slightly. "I don't think he enjoys the experience very much."

Ryou, finally done losing his lunch, got up and started spreading the glare. "Oh, ha ha ha. Very funny, jackass." He focused on Joshua. "Do that again and I'll hit your head _so_ hard it'll end up on the other side of Remnant."

Given that Ryou's stats and Level said he could probably pull it off, Joshua just gave him a nod in concession.

Andrew cleared his throat to get their attention. "Anyway, there's another question we need to ask, now that your new Semblance Skill has been duly tested. Something more than a little concerning."

He turned to fully face Joshua, staring him down. "What _exactly_ did you do out there? I was watching your stats from my connection to your Aura, why did your physical stats suddenly start skyrocketing? You said you don't have any buffs, and your newly unlocked double function Skill couldn't have given you enough strength for a finisher like _that_."

It looked like Ryou was curious too, though he didn't actually speak out. Instead, his glare seemed to lighten slightly and be replaced by a look of curiosity.

Honestly, this was a part of the conversation Joshua was hoping to avoid. How could he really explain the Adult Beowolf Mask in a way that didn't get them all alarmed and on edge? Not easily, unfortunately. Besides the potentially _huge_ boosts to his physical abilities, the thing rather significantly affected his mind the longer he kept it on. The only reason he felt he could off that move with the Deus Stratta was because he had so _much_ more AP for it to try and consume before it started affecting his head. If he had ended up wrong, the damn thing might have made him go irrevocably rabid.

On the other hand, these guys had really gone out of their way to help him out. Ryou maybe a little less, but having him along was the lynchpin that made this possible. If he hadn't decided to agree to come along, Joshua's stats wouldn't have been high enough through Andrew's Semblance to fight that Deus Stratta with relative safety. And Andrew was the one who really went out of his way to make this happen and help him to develop his new Avatar and its abilities. For crying out loud, the guy even just _gave_ him some Skill Books. That was _unbelievably_ generous.

But, in the end, Joshua just straight up didn't want to lie to them. Not after all this. So, preparing for the worst, he opened his Inventory and brought out the Grimm Mask.

oOoOoOoOo Ryou Sawamura oOoOoOoOo

' _That's it? Some damned mask? That's what let him pull it off?_ '

It was a little hard to believe. Ryou had heard about some powerful equips before, but this was just too much. Some mask picked up off a random Grimm shouldn't be capable of that kinda stat boost, it just broke the damn game.

"That mask is bullshit."

Joshua nodded. "I know, right? It looks like the thing boost my body depending on how much of my AP bar it consumes, but I haven't tested it very extensively."

Ryou looked at him in question. "Why not? Does the thing have debuff for balancing? This thing's gotta have _some_ kind of drawback for such a big boost."

Joshua's grimace told him that there was a cost. A _big_ one, apparently. "There is, and, trust me, it's a big one." He stopped talking, as if silently asking them to drop it. Too bad Ryou wasn't the type to do that.

"Well?" he insisted. "What is it?"

Joshua grimaced slightly at the bluntness of the question, but he answered. "The longer I keep it on, the more it starts messing with my head."

He blinked. That's it? It messed with his head after a while? "That can't really be it. You're saying you get that much of a boost for a few mental status effects? Nothing else?"

Joshua shook his head in frustration. "You're not _getting_ it," he insisted. "I mean this thing makes me go feral after a while. The first time I put it on I almost tried to launch a one man massacre against Silberlicht. It's like it was trying to turn me into another Grimm."

" _WHAT!_ " Andrew screamed beside him, staring at Joshua wide eyed.

"Jeez," Ryou muttered, pulling his hands back down from his ears. "Warn us the next time you're gonna test your lungs out."

Andrew shook his head, still looking like somebody told him the sky was gonna fall. "Take this seriously!" he demanded. "If that mask really affects his mind like that, then it's probably one of the most dangerous things in the original game. That goes double, now that the game is real."

Joshua seemed to get the point, but apparently Andrew was reacting even more strongly than he thought. "Easy, alright? I know it's dangerous, that's why I haven't been using it. Why are freaking out so much?"

For once, Ryou had to agree with the greenie. This kinda panic was _really_ unusual coming from Andrew. Put simply, the guy just didn't panic. At _all_. Was there something the two of them were missing?

Visibly calming himself down, Andrew seemed to be struggling for a way to explain. He seemed to have something in mind but couldn't quite place how to say it. Eventually, squaring his shoulders, he decided on how to express his concerns. "Have any of you heard of the Ganesha incident?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow, an expression Ryou essentially emulated. The Ganesha incident? What did that have to do with this?

The greenie decided to speak first. "Yeah, I remember it. I was one of the Players who helped to fight it. What does that have to do with anything?"

' _Fought it? Maybe this runt ain't such a greenie after all._ '

Andrew sighed. "Listen. As you all know, over a year ago, there was a sudden appearance of an extremely powerful Grimm. One that seemed to take the form of a gigantic humanoid Goliath type Grimm. Players were gathered from many different places of Remnant, along with a large number of powerful NPC's to stop it."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Is this going somewhere?" We know this already."

Andrew _almost_ glared at him for the interruption. "Yes, it _is_ going somewhere. _This_. Did anyone ever stop to think about where it actually _came_ from?"

Ryou opened his mouth for a snappy remark before stopping, his mouth frozen as he thought it over.

It was a good question, actually. Just where _did_ Ganesha come from? They all knew that it suddenly came out from the mountainous regions of northern southwestern Vale, but not really any specifics. Theories abounded, but nobody really ever found out for sure.

Joshua answered for him, saving Ryou from a moment of embarrassment. "Of course we've thought about it before, but what….does….." the other Player's face paled, immediately picking up on the implications. Ryou imagined his own face was the same as his thoughts went down the same line. "You can't be serious."

Andrew didn't back down. Ryou had seen him like this before, in situations where he was _sure_ he was right. Not a good sign. As if to scare them even more, Andrew chose to expand on the dialogue.

"I remember hearing rumors about it before. About how another Player with a Wisdom based Build stumbled on the mask of a Goliath he killed in the Loot Bag. He didn't think too much of it, but he started talking about it to other Players. I heard about it pretty easily. You'd be surprised what someone will tell to the guy who's patching them up."

Ryou shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious," he asserted. "You can't be telling me the mask actually turned him _into_ a Grimm. How could that even work?"

Andrew shook his head. "I don't know, but the timing of the rumors are _far_ too close to Ganesha's appearance to be mere coincidence." He looked at Joshua, his eyes hard. "And you've already said that it affected your mind. Not to mention what it was doing to your AP bar. Consuming it."

Joshua stared at the mask in his hand as if he expected it to try and bite him. Or at least try to fly onto his face. Holding it further out than normal, he dismissed it back into his Inventory. "You're saying that thing might actually make me the next Ganesha?"

This kid as Ganesha? Holy shit, that was scary. One of the things about Ganesha that made the fight so terrifying was the number of Skills it had, Skills that should've been impossible for Grimm to actually have at _all_. Some guys who fought the damned thing even swore it must've had a Semblance of some kind. Ryou tried to imagine another Ganesha with Joshua Semblance and mentally flinched back from the result. It _definitely_ wouldn't be pretty.

Andrew spoke up first in the ensuing silence. "We need to set some rules down, alright?" Joshua nodded and Andrew held up a hand, one finger extended. "First, no using that mask unless we're around to keep you from getting out of control. It's too risky, otherwise." He held up another finger. "Second, do _not_ keep that thing on for a long period of time. The moment it reaches the halfway mark of your AP, you take it off. No exceptions." He lowered his hand. "Acceptable."

Joshua nodded. "Definitely. I'm _so_ not interested in becoming a walking natural disaster."

And just like that, the air became a little clearer again. Good, Ryou was worried things were gonna get a little too intense.

oOoOoOoOo Winter Schnee oOoOoOoOo

' _Just a little longer. A little longer and I can get started._ '

Her personal airship was only a quarter hour out of Silberlicht now, the last place where Weiss was seen and the place where the kidnappers had apparently taken her from. It wasn't a particularly large place, so she doubted her little sister was still there. Not enough places for those rats to hide in the middle of a large investigation. But it was a start for her search.

Absently, she wondered just what kind of demands her kidnappers would be sending. Were they in it for money? The Schnee Dust Company was one of the wealthiest corporations in the world, so it wasn't an unfeasible guess. Still, Winter had her doubts about this being motivated by profit. The ransom message didn't specify any particular price, merely warned her to obey what demands they would make. That implied that this was of a more personal motivation.

The White Fang almost immediately came to mind. They had recently started getting more violent in their approach, but how could they pull it off? The whole affair reeked of an insider, someone who could inform them of Weiss' trip to Silberlicht on a tour around Atlas. But nobody came to mind, which served to frustrate Winter even more.

Regardless, she was going to make them pay for this. _Dearly_! Nobody went after her sister without expecting a glacier to fall down on their heads.

Her thoughts of freezing the culprits to ice statues was suddenly interrupted as the intercom blared to life.

"Ms. Schnee, there's a Bullhead in pursuit of us. It's gaining."

Her eyes widened and she used the terminal of her seat to check the rear view camera of her craft. Was this an ambush?

Gaining a look at the Bullhead coming in from behind, it definitely looked like they were in trouble. The craft in question seemed armed o the teeth with a number of weapons modifications, a vicious copy of the White Fang insignia in plain view on its front.

"Prepare for evasive maneuvers!" she ordered. "Call for support from the Silberlicht Defense Corps. and don't let them get in firing range!"

"Roger ma'am!"

Looks like things were about to get testy.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Joshua sighed. "I'm telling you guys, _I don't know_! Until now, I wasn't even sure if I should even get a weapon at all."

Seriously, there wasn't much of a point thinking about it until pretty much right now. A Build with a particular weapon would need to specialize their stats and Skills to revolve around the weapon in question, something Joshua hadn't really had the time or resources to think about.

Ryou shook his head at him. "I call bullshit. You had to have thought of _something_. You said that Andrew gave you a book about Archery, right. Why not get some kinda kickass bow with specialized arrows?"

"Because it would be too expensive, for one." Joshua retorted. "Besides, I'd need a special license or participation in a Combat School. Which is _impossible_ , given my lack of an ID."

He was really starting to hate the image of Ryou rolling his eyes at him. "Okay, first problem? You've got enough money, believe me. Especially after killing the Deus Stratta. Second problem? Just find the right palms to grease and you'll be able to pull it off. You go more than enough lien in your pocket to make some good bribes. Hell, Andrew offered to help place the order, it'll be easy."

Joshua was about to reply when a sound got his attention. "Do you guys hear that?" It sounded like…like a loud whistling noise. And with a weird beating sound mixed in. A very _rapid_ beating sound.

Before the others could respond, they were interrupted by a small airship flying practically overhead, trailing smoke and heading at a decline to the ground. What the hell?

The personal airship was quickly followed by another airship, a Bullhead with a bunch of mods, darting closely behind it. Besides a few scratches and dents, it was largely undamaged. Some kind of mark was on its front, but it was going too fast for any of them to recognize it.

One thing was clear, though. Those guys were after the other ship, and Joshua was willing to bet it wasn't for anything good.

Andrew spoke up, the first to shrug off the shock. "Maybe we should put the debate on hold. At least until we find out what's going on."

With a nod from Joshua and Ryou in agreement, the three of them headed off in pursuit.

oOoOoOoOo Winter Schnee oOoOoOoOo

' _Dammit, that burns!_ '

As she stumbled out of the wreckage of her airship, Winter couldn't help but be angry. She'd spotted the weapons and assumed those were the only modifications done to the pursuing Bullhead, she hadn't thought that the engines had been upgraded along with them.

She was so confident in the ability of her ship to outrun them that she didn't order the pilot to gun the airship into high gear from the start. If she had ordered him to do so, they would probably have gotten close enough to Silberlicht for a backup force to arrive and scare it off. Dammit, it was such a stupid mistake.

And now, because of that mistake, the pilot was dead from the crash and her Aura was almost completely gone from the jarring impact. Then, as the whirring of the Bullhead's engines drew closer, she got the distinct impression that things were about to get even worse.

Struggling to get behind a tree for some shred of cover, she listened in for any sounds of approach on the ground. She couldn't afford to be caught in the open with anyone, not while her Aura was so low.

It didn't take long for her to hear people approaching, enough footsteps for at least half a dozen of them to be coming. This wasn't going to be good.

Over the droning of the Bullhead's engines, she heard a shout of "Find that icy bitch!" and got ready for a fight. Preparing what little remained of her Aura to activate her Semblance, she got ready to jump out from behind the tree and unleash a barrage of icicles.

But, as the world would have it, fortune gave her a bit of unexpected good will. Because, just as she was about to jump out and attack, the area was shaken by an explosion.

"The Bullhead! What the hell happened?"

Winter's eyes widened slightly. Had the garrison at Silberlicht managed to send help? Sneaking her head around slightly to see what was going on, she was greeted by the sight of almost a dozen White Fang members fighting off a trio of apparent interlopers.

They were also getting rather soundly routed, with one of them impacting rather solidly against the tree she was using as cover.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

As Joshua and his two companions finished their little mop up of the White fang members, Joshua couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

' _These guys are pathetic._ '

Really, he probably could've beaten them all even while he was Level 20. Not easily, but still beaten them. Granted, they were all much tougher than the first group of Beowolves he'd killed, but he was _much_ stronger now than he was even a half hour ago. They stood no chance.

And that wasn't even factoring in Andrew and Ryou. Andrew just walked up and _touched_ the guys, seeming to make them each fold like a house of cards. He wasn't even bothering to actually dodge their attacks and gunshots, just wading right through.

Ryou was the opposite, a living blur that seemed to change places in every fraction of a second. It was also the first time Joshua had the opportunity to see his Semblance. It looked like it involved creating brief shadowy afterimages of his own movements and attacks. In addition to the obvious secondary hit from the shadow in a melee fight, he could also _release_ the afterimage as it went through his movement, shooting it off as a projectile.

And as the Bullhead had proven, the afterimages hit with a _ton_ of momentum and force, punching clean _through_ the airships armor and destroying its most of the machinery in the main body, forcing it down in a burst of fire and heat.

Of course, Joshua wasn't gonna let them have _all_ the fun. He was the one to get in the first hit, sending the first guy flying into a tree when he used a quick **Skip** to amplify his running momentum and give him a quick **Straight** to his face.

Before the others could react, he accelerated with **Fast** to run around and take out another two in a similar fashion. He was moving so quickly that he didn't even need to use **Aura Strike** , his momentum granting more than enough force to his punches.

The fight was over before these guys even had a chance to seriously fight back, his AP only down by a quarter by the time it was over.

Cupping his hands over his mouth, Joshua called out, "Is anybody else here? These guys are done, you can come out now."

The three of them stood there silently, waiting for some kind of reply. When it looked like they'd arrived too late, they saw a stirring from behind a tree.

It was a young woman, looking to be roughly 17 years old with medium-blue eyes and snowy white hair done up in a bun on the back of her head. Dressed in a combination of whites and blues with an expensive looking dress suit combination, he imagined she'd look stunning in better circumstances. Unfortunately, she had obviously seen better days. Her previously pristine outfit was littered with tears and a number of dirty smudges, making her look quite haggard. But it was something else that caught his attention.

 **Winter Schnee**

 **Lvl. 57**

A Schnee. And not a civilian, either. Not with a Level like that. What's going on here?

Typical of Andrew, the doctor was the first among them to speak out in the silence. "Pardon me, miss, but you seem injured. I'm a capable Aura healer, would you care for some assistance."

The young woman glanced at Andrew anxiously, as if unsure of letting anyone close to her. She was probably pretty shaken up from the crash.

"I'm fine," she responded with a shake of her head. "I'm afraid I don't know who any of you are, but I'd like to thank you for your assistance." Her face darkened as she looked upon the scattered White Fang members on the ground. "I'm not about to die from these maggots. Not while they still have my sister."

' _Sister?_ '

Ryou spoke out next. "You can pay us back later. Right now, we need to get you back to town. It's too dangerous to talk out here."

The young woman nodded. "Yes. Do you have a way back of your own? A transport of some kind?"

Joshua rolled his eyes. Boy, she was in for one _hell_ of a surprise. "You'll find out soon enough. Anyway, what's going on here? What were these guys after?"

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, unsure if it was a good idea to tell them. Did she think they were somehow a part of this? Talk about paranoid.

As if deciding to trust them a little, she gave them an answer. "It's my little sister, Weiss. She's been kidnapped, by the White Fang I suspect." She gave them a brief bow. "I would be very grateful if you could help me travel the rest of the way to Silberlicht. That's where my investigation will start and I can't be late to arrive. Weiss may be in even greater danger the longer they have her."

 **xXx**

First off, Winter's age isn't a typo. Right _now_ she is 17 years old. That's because this fic is _currently_ taking place seven years before RWBY as we know it actually begins.

Why, you ask? Because I wanted to explore the possibility of a Self-Insert fic where the Protagonist didn't already know what the rest of the audience knows from the series. The only way to do that was by presenting RWBY in a form that wasn't already watched and recorded by the public. To do so, I came up with the idea or it being a vast MMORPG that was so immersive and alive that it made its own adventures and stories within the game itself, like a genuinely living world. The fact that it also made it the perfect backdrop for a fic with substantial Gamer elements was just a _very_ nice bonus. Bet you all didn't see that coming, right?

Also, I'm trying to write my fics and stories in ways that break the mold a little. I mean, how many fics are already out there where the MC ends up going to Beacon and joining a team? _**A LOT!**_ So, I decided to go a different route and have things go in a relatively unexplored direction. I'll tell you guys now, Joshua isn't going to one of the Academies, he's gonna be affiliated with them at some point in the future, but he's not gonna be a student.

Anyway, I hope you all like this new chapter. Review and have a nice day!


	8. Shall We Begin Negotiations?

Chapter 8

 **Shall We Begin Negotiations?**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Winter Schnee oOoOoOoOo

' _I really have no idea what to think of these people._ '

When Winter had first met the people who had helped her in that White Fang ambush, she'd been honestly a little impressed. They were all strong, _very_ strong. Certainly stronger than herself, she had to admit. They'd easily dispersed almost a dozen heavily armed White Fang members, smacking them around like ragdolls without even a single bead of sweat to show for it.

That was before they offered to escort her back to town and she saw what they were like _outside_ of an actual fight. The three of them –Joshua, Andrew and Ryou, as she'd learned from their banter- honestly couldn't be further from professional. At first, she'd assumed they were professional Huntsmen, highly trained and disciplined soldiers who acted as the first and last line of defense for the Four Kingdoms.

"Dammit, Ryou!" Joshua shouted, "Quit trying to trip me up!"

"Wasn't me," the tall man countered. An obvious lie, given his smirk. "You just got crappy footwork. Don't blame _me_ for you having two left feet."

Apparently, that couldn't have been further from the truth. The moment they started heading back, Ryou and Joshua started baiting each other like a pair of cats fighting over a mouse. They couldn't have been further from professional if they actively _tried_ to be. Seriously, were these the same people who had pulled her out of that situation? It was getting harder to believe with every passing minute. Actually, make that every passing second.

Well, at least Andrew seemed capable of calming them both down. He was doing it right now, in fact.

"That's enough you two. We need to get back to town quickly, before night falls and the Grimm come out in heavier numbers. You can start going at it once we reach Silberlicht."

Joshua and Ryou just glared at each other for a moment as they walked. She might have found the sight of them moving in perfect synch as they glare daggers at each other rather amusing, if the situation wasn't further testing her patience. She'd decided to split off from them as soon as they all reached town, which actually brought up a certain question.

"How are we going to get back?" she asked. They couldn't possibly be planning to _walk_ all the way back, could they? Silberlicht was still many miles away from their current position, there was no way for them to cover that much ground on foot.

"Don't worry, we've got a way back." Joshua assured her, turning away from his glaring match with Ryou for a moment before turning back at the man. Ryou's smug look implied that he seemed to have won something, given that Joshua had looked away from him for barely two seconds. ' _Oh, god. Please tell me they weren't having some kind of glaring contest._ '

Seeing her distress, Andrew –the only one among this group she could honestly dub sane- quickly built on Joshua's response. "Yes, we have a way back that doesn't involve walking all the way. Though I imagine Ryou would probably protest, seeing as he could easily run the whole distance even quicker."

The tallest of the group seemed to physically puff up from the praise. "Damn right. Why bother riding that thing when I could just _carry_ us all back. I'm _much_ faster."

Joshua groaned at the man. "Okay, okay, we get it. You're awesome, will you shut up about it already? Keep going on like this and I'm pretty sure you'll be crushed by the weight of your swelling head."

"Exercise," Ryou effortlessly shot back. "It helps give me a great workout. Of course, I don't expect a peon like _you_ to get it. How could you _possibly_ understand the great weight of carrying around so much awesome on my shoulders? What a heavy burden."

Okay, now this was getting _ridiculous_! Couldn't those two take _anything_ seriously? She was honestly starting to wonder if asking them for help was such a good idea, it felt like they were driving her completely _insane_!

"Whatever," Joshua muttered, rolling his eyes. "Either way, we need to get back to town before anything else. How much longer till we get to the damned Doppelgänger?"

' _Doppelgänger? What's he talking about_ '

"No time at all," Ryou answered. "In fact, we're already at the spot."

The moment the words so much as left his mouth, they entered a small clearing devoid of any trees or large examples of foliage. Roughly the size of the combat arena of the Amity Colosseum, it looked like the kind of place where some large number of families would go out on a large communal picnic, if it wasn't too far away from the borders of Silberlicht to be safe or practical.

But what surprised her enough that she almost froze in mid-step was the sight of the Bullhead in front of her, parked right in the center of the clearing itself. With quite a few modifications to the hull for greater maneuverability and lessen air resistance, not to mention what seemed to be a very _expensive_ pair of engines on the wings. ' _How in the world could any of these people afford something like that?_ '

She numbly followed them over to its side, barely noticing the strange emblem that marked it. The image of a featureless man in a fighting stance, backed up by a shadow in the exact same pose. Some sort of reference to the Bullhead's moniker?

Ryou opened the door at the side and hopped in, quickly fishing the keys out of his pocket and inserting them, bringing the Bullhead to life as the engines roared and he opened the doors into the main hull by flipping a switch. He flipped a thumb to gesture behind himself and shouted, "Get in, folks! We're heading on back!"

Still a little surprised at the recent discovery that one of this bizarre trio actually owned a heavily modified Bullhead, Winter was the last one to move at the man's exclamation. Moving slightly stiffly as the others had already jumped in, she did her best to follow suit. Unfortunately, the pain in her legs that she'd been suppressing on her walk here were starting to protest as she braced to leap in.

Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she grabbed onto a rail inside the Bullhead itself with her right hand to pull herself up and in. She was about halfway in when a hand suddenly appeared in her line of sight, open and offering a bit of help.

Following it up to the face of the extender, she saw it was Joshua. "Need some help?" he asked politely.

Doing her best to hide the brief feeling of relief, she responded with a terse nod and putting her free left hand in his own. Feeling him pull her further forward, she muttered a quick "Thank you" and took a seat across from him.

Strapping herself in, she began to rethink her previous discontent with the people currently escorting her to Silberlicht. Maybe she could work with them after all.

Any further thinking was stopped as Ryou closed the hull doors and spoke to them from the cockpit. "Okay, folks, we're taking off. Buckle in and hold on tight, cause you may feel a _slight_ pressure during flight."

Feeling the Bullhead lift into the air, Winter rolled her eyes at the claim. There was no way this aircraft could go fast enough for that to happen, expensive modifications or not. He just had to be bluffing.

Then the Bullhead actually started flying in a straight line and she suddenly found herself wide eyed as she was practically _pushed_ into her seat.

oOoOoOoOo

Fifteen minutes. The Doppelgänger reached Silberlicht in 15 _minutes_. Winter honestly wasn't sure how that was even possible for a personally owned ship outside of anything military grade, but it wasn't really the focus of her concern right now. No, she was more concerned with trying to keep down the flipping sensation in her stomach as the damned ship finally slowed down to take a landing in a small parking field designated for personal airships.

' _I am NEVER getting in this damned thing again._ '

Ryou's next little announcement did absolutely _nothing_ to help change her mind. "Alright, folks, thank you all for choosing Air Ryou as your choice of transportation. Please check to make sure you have all your belongings on hand before you get off, otherwise I'll just have to pawn 'em for some extra cash. Have a nice day, and watch that first step."

Taking deep breaths, Winter did her best to calm her stomach down as she unbuckled her seatbelt and got up. Heading to the door, she was stopped from exiting as a hand fell on her shoulder and gave a slight tug.

"Hold on," Joshua said, getting her to turn on him with a slight glare. "We can't just let you walk out in public."

She raised an eyebrow at that, challenge and curiosity. "And why's that?"

"The White Fang just tried to kill you, right? How do you think they'll respond if they see you suddenly appearing here in town after they sent a team after you? Especially since they haven't gotten a response from the guys they sent."

Her eyes narrowed. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he actually had a pretty good point. It would attract far too much attention if she was spotted by any members of the group while she was searching for any clues to her sister's whereabouts. They already tried to kill her once, why wouldn't they try again?

Unfortunately, she didn't really see any other option. "What do you suggest? That I simply stay in here the whole time? I don't have that kind of time on my side. My sister is in danger and I can't just sit here waiting for something to happen."

He smiled at her. "Who say's you'll be staying in this flying scrap heap?"

Ignoring Ryou's indignant shout of "Hey!" Winter focused her attention on Joshua. Did he have some kind of plan?

"What do you suggest?"

She didn't miss Andrew's pained groan as he spotted the look on Joshua's face. "Oh my god, _please_ tell me you aren't planning on using you Semblance."

"It's the only way to get her out of here without anybody seeing her." Joshua countered. What were they talking about? Just what kind of Semblance did he have? She saw him somehow alter his speed while fighting the White Fang members back in the forest, but could there be something more to it? But if that was the case, why was Andrew looking so exasperated.

The doctor let out a sigh of "Fine" and Joshua gestured her back to her seat. Reluctantly sitting back down, she saw him exit with Andrew and waited for….. _whatever_ was apparently supposed to happen. She didn't exactly have much more choice at the moment.

"You're gonna regret taking up the offer." Ryou said from the cockpit. Turning to fix him with her glare, she saw him wearing a smug look on his face. The kind that always said _I know something you don't know_. It really wasn't pleasant to look at.

"And why's that?" she challenged.

"You'll find out." He cryptically answered, shifting his legs and feet for a more comfortable position. "Bit of advice? Don't make any sudden movements for a while after you suddenly find yourself in his apartment. Your stomach will thank you."

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. ' _What in the world is he talking about?_ '

Doing her best to ignore him, she pondered over everything that had recently happened. Her learning of Weiss' kidnapping, the message she'd received, the attempted ambush. It seemed like a typical attempt to lure her out and eliminate her while she was traveling to Silberlicht, but something about that theory seemed off to her. The message said to give into their demands, but no such demands were included in the message itself. It could've just been paranoia, but her instincts told her there was a clue in there. Maybe it really _was_ just an attempt to lure her out into an ambush? Possible, but if they really wanted to make sure she was dead, they would've sent more than just a small team of roughly nine people after her. She might not be a full-fledged Huntress, not yet, but they had to know she could handle herself against such a limited group. The only reason she would've had trouble with them was because of the Aura that had been drained from her airship crashing.

Not to mention that the message arrived almost on the day of Weiss' kidnapping. Not an _unusual_ move, per se, but kidnappers usually gave their targets some time to sweat over the disappearance to get them good and worried by the time they started giving demands.

All small things, seemingly insignificant, but she had a feeling that there was something important in that. This kidnapping seemed to make sense on the surface, but the _details_ told her there was something wrong.

"Looks like he's back."

Winter started slightly at Ryou's comment, having been slightly lost in her thoughts. ' _Already,_ ' she thought, checking the time on her scroll. "It hasn't even been three minutes, yet."

"Then it looks like he came just in time." He turned to look at her, smirking again. "Remember what I told ya. No sudden moves."

She rolled her eyes as Ryou opened the hull door for Joshua to enter. Seeing him hop in, she stood up from her seat and turned to Joshua with a questioning look. "What are you going to do?"

He held a hand out. "Take my hand."

Staring at the offered appendage, she blinked before looking him in the eye. Seriously, what was this all about?

"Just take my hand," he insisted. "We don't have much time for this to work."

She looked down to the hand before looking him in the eye again, still trying to piece things together. Looking back down at his hand, she shrugged in resignation and took hold of it with her own.

Then, as Joshua shouted " **Rewind** ", she felt the whole world seem to both constrict and stretch out around her. Felt her mind and awareness seem to twist and turn in multiple directions in bizarre and incomprehensible patterns. It felt like she was being pulled against some great current as her sense of memory went haywire.

Then, as quickly as it began, it ended. Winter barely registered that she was somewhere completely different from the inside of Ryou's Bullhead, somewhere looking more like an actual home.

Unfortunately, that was all she really noticed before her head started swimming and she tried to keep her stomach from suddenly pushing up in her throat. Barely remembering Ryou's advice, she did her best to take deep, slow breaths and not make any sudden movements.

' _So THIS is what he meant._ '

oOoOoOoOo

A few minutes after suddenly finding herself somewhere else and managing to keep her breakfast down, Winter finally felt confident enough in her equilibrium to take a seat on the couch. Absently nodding to Joshua's offer for some water, she focused on the blank television screen in front of her as a form of anchor. The same trick had worked for her before, more often than not.

When Joshua arrived back with the water, she slowly reached out to grasp it and take a small sip. Quickly downing _anything_ with even a mildly swimming head tended to end badly. Feeling the ice in the glass brush against her lips slightly, she took one sip after another until it was almost half empty before setting it back on the table. "Thank you."

"No problem," Joshua answered, taking a seat on the sofa beside her. "Now, let's wait till the others get here. Ryou should be done with registering his landing, so he should be back in a-"

 _Ding-Dong!_

"-second. Damn, that guy works fast."

Feeling him leave the couch, she turned to the door as he walked over to open it. Seeing it open, it really _was_ none other than the crazy pilot himself. ' _How? The landing ground is on the other side of town, how could he POSSIBLY have gotten here so quickly?_ '

"'Bout time you got here, Ryou." Joshua said. "Andrew's already here, take a seat and we'll get started."

As if to show off again, Ryou decided to show his speed by essentially disappearing from view before her eyes before suddenly appearing on one of the chairs beside the couch. Putting his feet up on the coffee table and leaning back, he did every effort to make himself comfortable.

Andrew, as it turned out, was in the small kitchen the whole time. She actually felt a little embarrassed for not noticing him sooner, it was practically in plain view. Walking over with a small platter of sliced fruit, he rested the food on the table before settling down in another chair beside Ryou.

Taking a slice of apple to help ease her stomach a little more, Winter finally started to calm down and fully regain herself. Getting her thoughts back in order, Winter took a deep breath and firmed her stature for the coming conversation.

Joshua took his seat beside her and got the conversation started. "Okay. We know the White Fang has kidnapped Weiss Schnee and her sister," he gestured to her in recognition. "Is here to pick up some clues to look for her. Winter, got any clues we could use?"

Seeing her cue, Winter cleared her throat and began to speak. "Barely a day ago, Weiss' last known location was here in Silberlicht. Just today, I received a message on my Scroll from the apparent kidnappers." She pulled out her Scroll and showed the message in question. "I find it strange, though, that despite telling me to obey their demands, they didn't actually list anything. I came here to see if I could pick up some kind of trail, but I was attacked before I could reach town. That's when we all ran into each other."

Ryou grimaced slightly. "Are there any actual _leads_? I mean, we can't exactly go around town asking everyone if they happened to see your little sis."

Face thoughtful, Andrew decided to add his own two cents. "I don't suppose the police could have anything? Has her kidnapping been reported, yet?"

Winter shook her head. "No, it hasn't been reported. I was only sent this message today, and turning this into a massive hunt for them could make the kidnappers desperate. If I want to get Weiss back, I'll need to do it quietly. That means I can't involve the police."

"Is there anything odd about the message?" Joshua asked. "Anything to give us some hints?"

"The message itself is a little odd, but I doubt it will actually help us."

Andrew looked curious. "Odd? Odd, how?"

"I've dealt with some kidnapping cases before," she answered. "Usually, the kidnappers take a few days before actually sending a message with their demands. They give their targets some time to get worried and malleable to their demands. It's strange that this message happened so soon after my sister disappeared, not to mention there were no _actual_ demands on it. It only told me to do what they say, but it didn't actually give any specifics."

"That _does_ seem a little odd," Joshua piped in. "But it doesn't really give us anything we can really _use_. Any idea where we can start? You said Weiss was last seen here, but where _exactly_ was she?"

Winter opened her mouth to answer, but the sudden ringing in her Scroll stopped her. Glaring down at the device, she brought it up to check the caller ID and froze. She didn't recognize it. Could it be a misdial or…

Putting the call through and bringing the Scroll to her ear, she answered. "Who is this?"

"I think you know who it is, Ice Queen. What are you doing in Silberlicht?"

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Joshua and the other guys in the room immediately went silent as they heard the other voice. It didn't exactly take a genius to know who was calling, and Winter's own reaction made it even more obvious.

"You," she hissed, almost spitting the word out, dripping in venom. "Where's my sister? If you've done _anything_ to her, I swear I'll-"

"Easy, Icy. Easy." The words came out patronizing, as if the person on the other side of the line was speaking to some disobedient child. "Your little sis is fine, but she might not stay that way for long. Now, I'll ask again, what are you doing in Silberlicht? We haven't sent any demands, yet."

"I came here because it's where my sister was last seen, you little bastard. And you have a lot of gall to talk about demands right now."

"I'll talk about whatever I want. Now why don't you play nice so we can go back to being best friends, huh?"

' _Something isn't right, here._ ' This guy wasn't reacting to Winter like a guy who'd just tried to organize an ambush on her, he was acting like just some kidnapper looking for a better angle. Was there something they were missing?

Winter sighed. "Fine. But first, I want proof my sister is okay."

"Nope," the man cheerily answered. "Sorry, but that's not how this works."

Seeing Winter get wound up again, Joshua moved to salvage the situation and get some answers. Taking the Scroll from Winter's hands and ignoring her angry glare, he spoke into the device. "We can get into the demands in a moment, first, you're giving us something worth more than your word that Weiss is still alive."

"What the….who the hell is this?"

Surprised, that meant he wasn't expecting anyone else to be with Winter. Could that ambush outside the border of town had been unrelated? "I'm the guy who's gonna make sure we all walk away happy. But for all of us to get what we want, you'll be giving us proof that Weiss is still alive. Otherwise, we'll all lose, and you and you little buddies will spend the rest of your lives looking out for a pissed off Winter."

Hearing a growl at the other end of the line, Joshua knew this wasn't what the guy was expecting. "Doesn't work that way. You'll have to take my word for it, whether you like it or not."

Joshua dropped the bomb. "The word of a guy who apparently tried to have the lady here ambushed and killed outside of town? I fail to see how we can trust anything you say."

He heard a barely noticeable noise of surprise at that. "Ambushed? What are you…Beck."

The last part was whispered out, and not in a happy tone either. Looks like he was right, that ambush hadn't been a part of the plan. Trouble in the group, maybe? Either way, it gave him something to work with, so he was gonna milk it for all it was worth. "Yeah, it was a pretty nice little idea. You guys lure her out with that message on her Scroll and lead her into an ambush to kill her. You're obviously not after anything else, nor can we really trust any kind of personal assurance that Weiss is still alive. I don't see any reason to talk, ciao."

"Hold on a sec!" Panicking. Perfect, that was something he could use. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but _something_ has apparently gone wrong. Waddya say we try to fix that?"

"Great," Joshua answered. "Call us back in ten minutes and we'll talk more." Finished talking, he hung up.

Afterwards, he had to deal with a fuming Winter as she wrapped her hands around his throat and almost strangled him, her eyes as icy and cold as the season she was named after. "What. Did. You. Just. _**DO**_!?"

' _Wow. Good thing my Aura was still activated._ ' Doing his best to keep his breathing steady, Joshua looked her in the eye and answered. "Saving your sister's life."

The effect was instant. Her icy rage briefly faltered as a flicker of confusion appeared, her grip on his throat going a little slack. "What?"

Using the opportunity, Joshua pried himself from her grip, massaging the now sore muscles of his neck. "That guy didn't know about the ambush, looks like our kidnappers aren't exactly united in opinion. He also dropped a name, probably by accident, but it's something we could use."

"And what does _any_ of that have to do with hanging _up ON_ _ **HIM**_!?" Winters voice rose again, almost turning into a shout at the end as her previous anger resurfaced.

"To make _him_ listen to _us_ , not the other way around. The more we let this stuff happen on _his_ terms, the less control we'll have and the less they'll need to keep Weiss alive as an assurance for us."

That snapped her out of it. The rage in her eyes slowly began to dull, being quickly replace with a sequence of confusion, realization, and consideration. "That's why you gave _him_ a time to call, isn't it? So you'd be giving the demands."

"Exactly," he answered. "We can't let him keep the reins, otherwise Weiss will just become dead weight and they'll want to make it literal. We don't need to give them reasons to think we'll play along, we need to give them reason to think they should keep your sister _alive_. We need _them_ to need _her_."

She didn't respond for a while, just staring at him. He thought he saw surprise, some understanding and…was that a bit of respect? He wasn't sure, reading eyes wasn't exactly his specialty.

"In the meantime," Joshua continued. "I think I've thought up a game plan. But we'll all need to work together on it. Also," he turned to Ryou, frowning as he saw the smug look on the man's face. "Why didn't you try to stop her from choking me? Andrew might not be fast enough, but you?"

' _Dear god, I'm starting to hate that damned smirk._ '

"No reason."

"No reason to help? Or no reason to worry?"

Ryou smirked again. "Yes."

Sighing in exasperation, Joshua turned back to Winter and saw what might pass as a look of pity for him. "Is he often like this?"

"Not often," he corrected. "Constantly."

"You have my sympathies."

Wow, that made him feel _so_ warm inside.

 **xXx**

Well everybody, here's my most recent chapter.

For anybody who's seen the movie, A Walk Among the Tombstones, I modeled some of Joshua's approach and explanation off of the kidnapping negotiation from it. Partially because it was an awesome movie, but also because the approach actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it. You gotta give the kidnappers a reason to keep their victim alive, otherwise they might just kill them and nobody would be the wiser. As for why Joshua was able to keep a cool head in this situation, I might expand on that later, but suffice to say that he did _not_ have an easy past.

I was also trying to show most of the chapter through Winter's point of view because….well, she's the first canon character to interact with them. Canon character and Players are _very_ different, and I'm not just talking about the often large gap in fighting abilities, I'm talking about how they interact with the world around them and seem so very different from everyone else. Because they _are_ different.

Please review and have a nice night.


	9. A Plan Set In Motion

Chapter 9

 **A Plan Set In Motion**

 **Before you begin reading, I'd like to dedicate a moment of silence to Monty Oum on this anniversary of his death. Also to dedicate this chapter, this fic, and all other fics I'm writing, will continue to write, and will write in the future. Because without Monty, I never would've even worked up the nerve to put ANY of this onto virtual paper.**

 **So take a moment of silence everybody. For the man that brought RWBY into the world, inspired so many people, and made the world just a little bit brighter.**

 **(Long Silence)**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

' _Well, at least she's calmed down._ '

With Winter finally not shouting at or trying to strangle him, they could get back down to business. Painful as it was to admit, he kinda owed Ryou for that little bit. His little version of the mathematician's answer seemed to have removed some of the tension in the room, the sarcastic bastard. For a moment, Joshua actually thought that might've been the intention, but then he remembered Ryou was just a sarcastic asshole and probably just decided to say something funny.

' _Or at least what he CONSIDERED funny._ '

His attention shifted from the jackass to Andrew, the doctor clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "Not to ruin this lovely atmosphere, but shouldn't we focus on the matter at hand? This isn't exactly something we can afford to waste time on. Joshua, I think you said you had a plan?"

Clearing his own throat and trying to keep down a flush of embarrassment, Joshua got his own thoughts back in order. Always count on Andrew to keep things in focus. "Right. Listen up, because we'll have to act fast." He studiously ignored Ryou rolling his eyes at him. "We have two different lines to search and help us find Weiss. The first is the guy who set up the ambush, the Beck guy that the jackass whispered out when he thought I couldn't hear. Lucky slip up. Our second bet would be the guy who just called. We find either of them and we'll be able to find Weiss."

Winter twitched in irritation. "Yes, but how can we actually _use_ that? We still have no idea where they even are."

Joshua shook his head, smiling. "That's where you're wrong, because they're both here in Silberlicht. So is Weiss."

 _That_ got everyone's attention. Winter went still in shock, Andrew almost sat straight up from his own chair and even Ryou looked at him in surprise. It was kinda amazing how just a few words could completely change the atmosphere.

Joshua went with the momentum and kept going. "The White Fang isn't an entirely connected organization. They're disconnected, various cells and groups across the Kingdoms they occupy and have a presence in. Common knowledge, but important. This lets the different cells and groups work out their own solutions to the civil problems Faunus go through in their own regions, but it also makes it difficult for different groups to work in tandem. If Weiss was kidnapped here in Silberlicht, it means that we're dealing with whatever cell is responsible for this particular area and likely no other beyond it. And there's no way they could've moved Weiss beyond their own area of influence, too much risk that another cell would find out and try to stop them."

Winter picked up on the train of thought almost immediately. "So that means we can narrow our search down to White Fang members of the immediate area. The ones in the town where she disappeared."

He nodded. "Exactly. Better yet, we have _two_ leads to go on. Catch one, we're good. Catch both, we're even better."

Ryou decided to add his two cents. "But how are we gonna find 'em? Silberlicht isn't exactly small, no way we could stumble on them walking around with the little icicle in the street. They ain't stupid." He chanced a glance at Winter, imagining what would happen when she found them. "Well, not _entirely_ stupid."

' _Does he really think I haven't thought this out?_ ' "Oh, but we _do_ have ways to find them. One of them involves _you_ doing what you do best."

Ryou took on a contemplative look, bringing up a hand to stroke his chin in mock thought before speaking out with a mock British accent. "Hmm. Color me intrigued."

"You're gonna work on our lead for Beck. Those guys that ambushed us outside town? I want you go get them and make them talk. Be as rough as you want to, just make sure you get answers." Joshua smirked. "Just _please_ , no humor. I'm pretty sure they'll clamp up if they hear your bad jokes."

Ignoring the tall Players indignant cussing, Joshua focused on Andrew. "Andrew, you know this town the best out of us. There are always places where stuff like this is spread around. Bars, empty warehouses, abandoned buildings, places where stuff like this and the people involved are talked about. You know any places like that?" He smiled at the doctor's affirmative nod. "Good. I want you to go out to those places and make them talk about anything they know. There's gotta be at least _one_ person who's gonna know something about what's going on. Think you can do it?"

"Hmph. Of course, who do you think you're talking to?"

Joshua smiled. Looks like things were getting in order, that was some good news.

Winter, who'd so far listened into the explanation, decided to speak up. "That explains what these two will be doing. But what about _me_?"

"You and I are gonna stay here."

The young woman didn't visibly react to him, not overtly, but the cold look in her eyes told him exactly what she thought about that. "If this is some poor attempt to get me alone, I _swear_ I'll-"

He stopped her with a raised hand. "It's not some bad attempt to hit on you. We _need_ to stay here, otherwise they'll get suspicious." She stared at him, slightly suspicious, and he let out a sigh. "Listen, they know _you're_ here, and they know _I'm_ here, but they don't know anything about Andrew or Ryou. We can use that to investigate things while keeping them busy, but you and I _need_ to stay here. Or did you forget how you got in this room?'

She looked away for a moment with a slight flush. "How could I forget? I still feel my stomach rolling from when you…..when you…." Her eyes widened slightly in realization. "When you practically teleported me in here."

He nodded. "Bingo. I got you in here without anybody seeing you, that means they don't know you're with the rest of us. They know _I'm_ here, but not anyone else, that means Andrew and Ryou can go out searching while you and I make sure the kidnappers keep Weiss alive. But for it to work, we _can't_ let them know we're with the others. It's our job to keep them talking and needing Weiss alive, otherwise this won't mean anything."

She didn't seem to really like the explanation all that much. He wasn't surprised, he was pretty sure _anyone_ would be angry having to sit and wait while other people went out to get info on a missing sibling. But she didn't protest, and that was enough indication that she'd go along with it.

Turning back to the matter at hand, he sent Andrew and Ryou off to handle their own parts. Ryou grumbled a little at being ordered around, but he went along with the plan and headed out to do his part.

And not a moment too soon, because the Scroll started ringing off to show it was time for talks to get started. ' _Ten minutes. Right on time._ '

He picked the Scroll up and hit the call button, bringing it to his ear. "This you?"

"No, it's the fucking tooth fairy. Who do you _think_ it is, jackass?"

He smiled. "Good, so now we can get started. First off, you're gonna give us a guarantee that Weiss is still alive."

The man sighed over the phone. "Well, that's gonna be a bit of a problem. I'm using a payphone right now, a little precaution to make sure the call won't be traced."

"We don't need you to give her the phone, that'd just be unreasonable, but we _do_ need proof that she's alive and alright."

"Like _what_ ," the caller asked, clearly getting annoyed.

"Q and A."

The line was silent for a few seconds. "You can't seriously be saying you plan on some game of 20 Questions."

"Of course not," he countered, motioning Winter to get closer and be ready to talk. "Something much simpler than that. Winter and I ask you a question with an answer that only Weiss would know. You call your buddies to tell them the question and they get the answer from Weiss. After that, you call in another 10 minutes and give us her answer. After that, we'll start talking negotiations, but there's gonna be breaks for another question every 10 minutes. Deal?"

The other man as quiet again for a short while, probably thinking over the arrangement to find anything suspicious. "Neither of you two is leaving that room until _I_ say you can. Non-negotiable, got it?"

Joshua smirked. ' _Hook, line, and sinker._ ' "Fine. Hold on a sec." He pulled the Scroll away from his head and turned to Winter. "Waddya got?"

The white haired Huntress to be thought in silence for a moment, thinking over possible questions before her eyes lit up with an idea. "The name of the first song she sang for our mother."

He brought the Scroll back up. "Ask her for the name of the first song she ever sang for her mother. Call back with the answer in ten minutes and we'll start talking negotiations."

"(Sigh) Fine. And _don't_ leave wherever you are and try to find anything. Got it? 'Cause I'll know."

"Crystal clear," Joshua answered, doing the best to keep the smile out of his voice.

After all, the guy said nothing about anyone _else_ going out to look. Given how fast Andrew and Ryou could work, he was pretty sure they'd be back with answers in maybe half an hour.

Plenty of time.

oOoOoOoOo Ryou Sawamura oOoOoOoOo

' _Damn punk thinks he can just order me around._ '

Granted, he was going along with it, but that was just because he'd have looked like an ass if he hadn't. Besides, somebody's life was on the line. This wasn't the time for him to give that greenie some grief.

Oh, but when this was all over, he'd be giving that little prick _such_ a hard time for bossing him around.

' _Now, where are those bastards from before?_ '

It honestly didn't take him long to find the place in question. He wasn't kidding when he'd said he could run the whole distance on his own even faster than his personal Bullhead, that thing was mostly just for carrying friends around quickly. He _really_ want to find out what could happen to someone if he was carrying them while moving at his top speed.

A top speed that got him back to the location in question in just under five minutes. He used to use this clearing in the game as a drop off point whenever he brought along a small group by air, so he'd all but memorized the coordinates by now. Hell, he could probably run back here in his sleep.

Now the problem was finding those White Fang dipshits.

Retracing his steps from the landing area, he jogged back to the rough area of the ambush. It wasn't really all that hard to find, given all the scorch marks and signs of violence that had been left behind.

Especially the few bodies. Looks like they'd gotten hit a little too hard, but there was still more missing.

Bracing his feet on the ground, he took off in a dash around the area to find the survivors. It barely took him even 30 seconds to find them, every last one beaten and panting from the fight before. The poor saps were probably feeling lucky to just be alive. Too bad _he_ was here to break that little notion.

His first move was to suddenly appear right in the middle of the little group in a blur, shocking them all and sending some stumbling around in fright. Priceless.

"Yo, ya White Fang dipshits. Name's Ryou and I got some questions to ask. Any volunteers?"

To their credit, they regained their wits pretty quickly at the sudden appearance and got ready for a fight. "Guess that's a no?"

Predictably enough, the surrounding Faunus charged him. When would people like this ever learn?

oOoOoOoOo Andrew Hamilton oOoOoOoOo

Another man was on the ground, screaming in agony as his dormant Aura went haywire and seemed to set his nerves aflame. Andrew didn't often use the more offensive application of his Semblance, but the ability to link with someone's Aura and put them under an array of potential debuffs was still quite useful. The main problem was that he needed to physically contact them first, not exactly good for someone who didn't have a very robust Build for their Avatar.

On the other hand, the people surrounding him were so weak that his lack of physical defense didn't mean much, especially given the protection of his own Aura.

After leaving Joshua's apartment, he headed off to find one of the less reputable places he'd become familiar with over his former time as a Player. It wasn't too impressive, just an abandoned tenement where the less than honest denizens and troublemakers of Silberlicht came to swap stories about their recent crap or chat about rumors. He might not have been as fast as Ryou, not even close, but he was fast enough and familiar enough with the town to get to the area in roughly three minutes.

And he wasn't alone, because it seemed a rather large group, maybe around a dozen, had shown up tonight. Several of them were even Faunus, which could mean that they might have some chance of knowing something. Of course, he'd been interrogating the _Humans_ too, fairness and all that.

"I'll ask you all again. What does anyone know about what the White Fang has been doing? Keep in mind that I can do _much_ more than just make you scream for a while."

Granted, he didn't exactly _like_ doing that, but this whole situation made it more than a little necessary. Sometimes you needed to hurt to help, that was a lesson he'd learned a long time ago, and he was pretty sure it wasn't covered by those blowhards in Medical School.

The apparent spokesperson, a tall and bald man with an array of tattoos stepped forward. "Alright, listen up, we don't know _anything_ about what the hell you're even talking about. Just get out, dammit!"

"And before all this I might have believed you. But that was before you all tried decided to surround and attack me when I asked you my question. I'd say that's suspicious enough for an interrogation."

The man looked very much like a deer caught in the headlights and it was honestly rather understandable. On one hand, he could keep his mouth shut and probably end up dead here and now via Andrew. On the other hand, he could talk and potentially end up dead because of selling out a group that was slowly shifting to terrorism. A rock and a hard place at its finest.

Still, that kind of tension could probably be useful. If he played his cards right, then he might get his info with only a little more pushing. Time was of the essence, so he'd have to do whatever he could to speed things up.

Opening his mouth to keep talking, Andrew was stopped by an unexpected interruption. The opening of a door by the side, along with a rather shady looking Faunus with wolf features walking into the room, completely unaware of the atmosphere.

"Yo, guys, could ya keep it down? I gotta get ready for-"

The Faunus stopped when he saw Andrew and the practically catatonic people on the ground around him, his eyes widening slightly as he realized what the noise was about. Andrew didn't notice how the man he'd been speaking with started shaking as the Faunus walked in.

"What do you know about the kidnapping of Weiss Schnee?"

The immediate paling of the Faunus' face told him he'd found a culprit. And it was only his first house.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Bringing back a glass of ice water for Winter from the kitchen, he caught the sight of the snowy haired young woman staring intently at the Scroll. It might have been funny on any other day, but not right now. Not when her own little sister was on the line.

He set her glass down on the table beside the Scroll, getting her to flinch slightly in surprise. Looks like she was more focused that he'd thought. He reached a hand out, placing it on her shoulder as a gesture of support. She froze for a moment, probably not sure about the contact, but settled down and relaxed after a moment. "Don't worry," he assured her. "We'll get Weiss back."

She looked up at him, looking into his eyes with a hopeful and slightly desperate look that was quickly smoothed over into an expression of calm that she most certainly didn't feel. She gave him a terse nod before looking back to the Scroll, doing her best to keep calm. He had to admit, she had some impressive self-control. He sure wouldn't be acting the same in her place.

' _I just hope those guys can work fast, because I'm not sure how long this'll last for us._ '

His thinking was interrupted when the Scroll started ringing, Winter reaching out and grabbing it on the first ring as quick as a blur. "Is it you?"

"Is that question gonna be a thing, now?"

Her right eye twitched in annoyance before she handed the Scroll over to Joshua, obviously doing her best to keep from letting out a snappy remark. Holding the Scroll up to his ear, he cleared his throat and kept his voice confident. "No, at least not for long. Nice that you called right on time."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I got the answer you're looking for."

"Oh? Alright, let's hear it."

He turned to Winter, watching her shake slightly in suspense. All too reasonable, given that the answer could very well show whether Weiss was still alive or not. "Alright, the answer is….Mirror, Mirror."

Winter visibly froze for a moment before letting out a sigh filled with relief. The right answer, definitely a good sign. "Yeah, that's it."

"Right. Now, why don't we get started on negotiations?"

Joshua took a deep breath. _Now_ came the hard part. "Fine. What exactly do you guys want?"

"First off, we'll be wanting info on SDC Dust shipments going around Atlas."

"Dust shipments?" Joshua questioned, quirking an eyebrow at Winter as he spoke aloud. She knew more about the SDC and its associated products and shipping than Joshua _ever_ would, letting her know what this was about could probably help some clues shine through. "That sounds kinda ambitious. What exactly do you want that stuff for?"

"Do you really think I'm gonna tell you?"

No, he really didn't, but he wasn't asking this stuff to get any actual answers. He was asking this stuff to keep the guy actually _talking_. To get him to waste moments of time, however small or scattered, going over details before the ten minutes for negotiations were up and the did the question and answer trade again. ' _Damn. You guys had better work fast._ '

"Nah, just curious. Is there any particular type you want? Water? Fire? Earth?"

"What difference is it to you?"

"Not really a difference to _me_ , it's whether or not it's a difference to _you_. You guys might want some kind of specific Dust in particular shipments and some details might help smooth things over. After all, you're gonna be keeping Weiss until you _after_ you've stolen the shipments, right? And you might get angry enough to do something… _drastic_ if you don't get what you want."

He could tell Winter's mind was working at a mile a minute right now, her face a mask of concentration as she ran things over in her head even while trying to keep tuned into the conversation.

The man on the phone took a moment of silence, thinking over his next choice of words. Looks like he wasn't gonna be making this easy, he knew giving them any info at _all_ could give them a clue he wanted to keep hidden. "Nah. We'll take what we can get from what we find. Put the Schnee on the phone."

He grimaced at the demand. Having Winter talk with him could actually make this more difficult, he was pretty sure she was high strung enough right now to probably let something slip, but saying no could also put them in a rough place. Could he think of a way out of it? "Why talk to Winter?"

"Because _she_ knows about the shipments, not _you_. Give her the phone."

He smirked. "No. You'll be talking to _me_ , and there won't be any problems with it."

He heard a hiss over the phone. "And what the _hell_ makes you think you're gonna be the one choosing how this goes? Don't forget, _we've_ got the girl!"

"You do," he conceded. "But you're not gonna _do_ anything to her."

The room, and the connecting line, went quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Joshua looked at the timer on the Scroll, smiling as he saw the seconds tick by. He smiled even more when the man on the line spoke low and slow, obviously angry.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Because you'll lose all your collateral," he answered. "If you kill her, we'll have lost any and all reason to give you the info or go along with _any_ of this. You'll have gone through all the trouble for nothing, and I'm pretty damned sure that Winter would personally hunt you down and shove an icicle bigger than your own body right up your ass. You'll be talking to _me_! Got it?"

"…I'm _really_ starting to hate you."

"Really? That's too bad, 'cause I think I'm starting to like our little conversations. Especially the breaks."

"Breaks?"

"Yeah, like the break in 3….2…..1! Ten minutes are up."

And then the guy was practically shouting on his end of the phone, cussing out so badly that he was pretty sure he'd learned some new curse words just from listening. This guy didn't _not_ like to be played. Too bad for him that he was kinda fun to mess with. "Done screaming? Hold on a sec while I get your question." He turned to Winter. "Got something?"

She nodded. "The first Dust type she successfully used in practice."

He put the Scroll back to the side of his face. "Got that? The first kinda dust she ever used right in practice."

"I. Really. _Fucking Hate_ _ **YOU!**_ "

"Got it. Call back with the answer in ten minutes." He hung up, letting out the sigh he'd been holding in the whole time. Jeez, this was _wrecking_ his nerves. Why couldn't kidnapping be like something in action movies? This would be _so_ much easier if they could just find out where to go and beat those guys up quickly to get Weiss back.

He collapsed back on the couch, landing on the side opposite of Winter. "So, did that thing about Dust shipments ring any bells?"

She shook her head. "No. The question is just too general for me to glean anything important from it. Maybe if there were more details or he was more specific, but I'm afraid I'm just as lost as you are."

He sighed again. Dammit, he was hoping she could've gleaned _something_ from that. Well, at least he'd bought a little more time.

And, lo and behold, that was the moment the door opened. Standing outside was the figure of Ryou himself, grinning ear to ear. ' _Never thought I'd be happy to see that look._ '

Joshua gestured him in, motioning for him to take his seat. "Got something for us?"

Ryou smiled even wider, not even needing to give an answer in words as he headed over to his seat and assumed his position. "You know it."

 **xXx**

Well everybody, here's the new chapter.

Sorry if you're disappointed by the lack of real action and greater concentration of talking, but this arc places a very secondary focus on that. This chapter was meant to focus on the negotiations and show Joshua try to keep maneuvering around to keep Weiss alive and buying time to the info to keep moving. Don't worry, we'll get to more action soon.

Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to portray a sense of tension over the situation, particularly in Winter (whose sister had just been kidnapped) and Joshua (who's doing his best to keep things moving). Also, as a little tribute to Monty, I've decided to put down _TWO_ chapters for this fic on the same day. I hope you didn't skip this one by accident.

Please review and have a nice day!


	10. A Race Against Time

Chapter 10

 **A Race Against Time**

 **Once again, before you begin reading, I'd like to dedicate a moment of silence to Monty Oum on this anniversary of his death. Also to dedicate this chapter, this fic, and all other fics I'm writing, will continue to write, and will write in the future. Because without Monty, I never would've even worked up the nerve to put ANY of this onto virtual paper.**

 **So take a moment of silence everybody. For the man that brought RWBY into the world, inspired so many people, and made the world just a little bit brighter.**

 **(Long Silence)**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Winter Schnee oOoOoOoOo

"Well?" Winter hissed out in irritation. "What did you find out? It better be something good."

The man had the _nerve_ to roll his eyes at her. "Jeez, not even a thank you? Seriously, you really need to work on that attitude."

She was sorely tempted to draw her sword out and _make_ him take this seriously. In fact, her hand was already moving to the handle and getting ready to pull it out, it would be _so_ satisfying to make this man treat this like it wasn't a joke.

She flinched slightly when another hand placed itself on her own, stopping her from drawing her weapon. She turned to see Joshua, giving her a look of something resembling pity. "Don't," he said. "Trust me, it's not worth the smacking you'll get if you try it."

Her hand was still close to her weapon, so close that all she had to do was draw it, but his words still stopped her. As much as she wanted to refute him, to say that she could beat the arrogant bastard around, she had to admit he had a point. Ryou really _was_ out of her league, and picking pointless fights _now_ of all times would just make this whole situation more complicated.

….But, dammit! She _really_ wanted to teach that tall prick a lesson about manners.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out and forced herself to relax, slowly removing her hand from its place by her sword. "Fine. But could we _please_ move on to the matter at hand?"

Seeing she'd calmed down, Joshua turned back to Ryou. "Yeah, could we?"

The arrogant man actually seemed a little disappointed that she hadn't made more of a scene. In fact, his expression gave the distinct impression that he was actually _pouting_. Did he _really_ just do that to try and get her to make a scene?

With a muttered "fine", he began to explain. "About that Beck guy; you were right. He's somewhere her in town. Apparently, he wanted to be here when it all happened. Looks like he's got some plans of his own"

Joshua's eyes narrowed. "What kinda plans, exactly?"

Ryou grinned. "He isn't happy with not being the guy in charge. He wasn't actually out to _kill_ the Ice Queen, he wanted to _catch_ her and use her for an extra chip. The little icicle is one thing, but her big sis? Bringing her in would suddenly make him _pretty_ big in their little cell. Maybe big enough to turn himself into the top dog."

She rolled her own eyes this time. "Trouble in paradise? _That's_ why they came after me?"

He nodded. "Yep. It's also why _he_ was the one to send that little message to lure you out here."

Her foot stomped the floor slightly at the revelation. "I _knew_ there was something wrong with that message."

Joshua nodded beside her. "Now it's starting to make more sense. That's why the guy on the phone didn't know about the ambush or the message over your Scroll, he was never a part of that plan." He turned to Ryou. "Did you find out where Beck is hiding? He might know where Weiss is."

Ryou's expression twisted slightly, telling them right away that they wouldn't like the answer. "Yeah, about that….they didn't actually know where he was. Dude was so paranoid that he just told them a place to meet up after calling in, they don't know where he's actually _hiding_ right now."

' _Well,_ ' Winter thought, ' _that's just perfect._ '

Taking a moment to digest the information, the Scroll decided _that_ was the perfect moment to call. Looks like things were just getting better and better.

oOoOoOoOo Andrew Hamilton oOoOoOoOo

Andrew walked down the hall to Joshua's room with a content smile and a noticeable spring in his step. Who could blame him? He went out to search for clues and was lucky enough to stumble upon something at his first area of choice, catching someone with some _very_ useful information. Maybe even useful enough to bring this to a close nice and quick.

Getting ready to knock on the door, his knuckles stopped half way before bringing them down as it opened, revealing Ryou with a finger placed over his lips for silence.

Getting the message, Andrew entered the room quick and quiet, hearing Joshua talking over the phone.

"Yeah, we'll get you the shipment info, but it might take some time for Winter to actually get it. How long are willing to wait?"

Doing his best to avoid making any sudden noise, Andrew took his own seat in the chair near the table. One of their advantages was that the other party didn't know anyone else was involved, and that wasn't something they could afford to lose right now. Granted, he didn't need to move _too_ quietly, given just how loud the kidnapper seemed to be shouting into the phone.

" _You'll get it by tomorrow, got it?! I'm getting REALLY TIRED OF_ _ **THIS SHIT!**_ "

"Fine, fine, we'll get you the info you want. Anything else?"

Taking his seat, Andrew waited until the conversation ended and Joshua hung up, arranging for another call to be in thirty minutes instead of the previous ten. "I take it things are getting more tense between you and your new friend."

The Player let out a sigh. "Yeah, he's getting bolder. _Please_ tell me you got something, I don't know how much longer we can string him along like this."

The newest member of their little Player trio let out a sigh of relief as Andrew nodded in affirmation. "Yes, actually. In fact, I actually found Beck in my first search."

Ryou seemed to choke on air as Winter and Joshua looked at him in shock. It wasn't hard to see why, considering he'd just walked in and told them he'd found someone crucial to finding Weiss, anyone would be more than a little shocked. Winter broke the silence first.

"You found him? What did he tell you?" She rose from her seat and marched over to him, her face an expression of forceful authority. "Did he know where Weiss is being kept? Tell me!"

He held up his hands in a warding gesture. "Calm down. Yes, I found out where Weiss is being kept." He turned to Joshua. "You were also right about her still being here. She's being kept in an abandoned mining area, it's the headquarters for the White Fang cell in this region. I even have the coordinates."

He barely even finished before Winter headed for the door. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Not yet."

She stopped in her tracks, tension filling her body at what she'd just heard. Turning back around with a glare, she stared down Joshua's hard face in challenge. "Why _not_!? We know where they are now, we can go over there and get my sister back, so _why should WE NOT_ _ **GO RIGHT NOW?!**_ "

" _ **BECAUSE RUSHING IN WILL JUST GET HER KILLED!**_ "

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

He was panting now, from the force of his own shout ripping from his throat. The room had fallen quiet as he'd yelled out, everyone seeming to freeze in place. Andrew was still seated and looking at him like he might try and strike out at somebody, Winter was frozen in place like a standing ice statue, and even Ryou was quiet and looking at him with a little surprise at his intense shout.

He couldn't find it in him to be surprised about their reactions. None of them had ever seen him really shout like that before, he honestly went to great lengths to keep himself calm, which made it all the more notable when he really let his voice loose.

Like he just did right now.

He took a deep breath, trying to get his temper back under control. Getting angry now wouldn't just be bad, it would be potentially _disastrous_. Things were already very delicate, he didn't need to potentially throw things into whack all because of his own growing frustrations, frustrations that Winter's bullheadedness seemed to only be making worse.

After taking a moment to reign himself back in, he decided he could speak again. "You and I _still_ need to stay here and keep the negotiations going. Ryou and Andrew can go after Weiss, but we need to work out a _plan_. If we go rushing in without thinking of a way in and another way out, these guys might get desperate enough to think they'll have nothing left to lose and _kill_ your sister. Understand? Above all, we need them to still think we're still playing along, that means keeping these negotiations going. If we don't keep the negotiations going, they'll get suspicious and change their tactics up. They might even move Weiss somewhere else and _all_ of this will mean _nothing_!"

He didn't even realize he's started standing up during his explanation, only realizing it when he collapsed back into the couch. Still, even sitting down, his eyes didn't leave Winter. He needed to make his point in this, if she wandered off now then _all_ of this will be for nothing, and that was something he couldn't allow. "Get it?"

She flinched slightly, averting her eyes. "I get it."

The moment was ruined when Andrew cleared his throat, wordlessly demanding their attention. He didn't miss the smile on the blond man's face. "Now who say's things need to be that hard? You didn't let me finish telling you what I learned."

' _What he learned? What was he….._ '

Then it was Joshua's turn to go wide eyed. "You know who's been calling us?"

He'd never been happier to see someone smiling. "The man's name is Michael. And I know where he's staying while he calls."

oOoOoOoOo Michael oOoOoOoOo

In an abandoned area along the border of Silberlicht, far enough away from the hustle and bustle to be all but unknown to most, was an old tenement. Not much to look at, even practically falling apart from the years of being left to rot. But, at least for certain purposes, it could still be useful. Like when somebody needed to keep hidden.

Michael was currently sitting in a folding chair, something you'd probably see on any typical person's lawn, drinking a beer and watching TV as the time went by.

He wasn't a very imposing or memorable guy, but that suited his current work just fine. Being easily distinguished from a crowd could be dangerous for someone in his current line of work, which made his distinct _lack_ of any overt Faunus features all the more valuable. Slightly messy black hair and a lightly tanned skin tone, a lack of a tail or extra ears or even claws, he could easily be mistaken for an everyday human.

' _Time's almost up._ '

Just a few more minutes and he'd call that bastard again. He had to admit, the guy knew how to keep negotiations going, anyone else probably would've caved in right away and made things all the easier, but _this_ guy knew what he was doing.

The damned brat they were keeping probably owed the guy his life and didn't even know it, Michael was pretty sure some of the more extreme guys probably would've just killed the kid and kept it a secret, ruining everything. If Winter's mysterious friend hadn't handled things the way he did, arranged a _reason_ to keep the girl alive, someone may have very well killed her by now.

Hearing the timer on his Scroll go off, he brought it up and called again. ' _Back to work._ '

Hearing the ringing of the opposite Scroll, he plotted over any possible curve balls the guy might give him. He might've lost control during the first few calls, but he could tell the guy on the other end was running out of tricks. "Calling again? Wow, we're becoming such fast friends."

Of course, that didn't mean the bastard was being anything but annoying. If Michael had the chance, he'd be happy to rip the guys throat out with his bare hands. "Quit the bullshit. The answer is Blue, now let's get down to-" he was interrupted by a ringing sound coming from the other end of the line. "What was that?"

The negotiator didn't answer for a while, keeping silent before he spoke with an obvious smile in his tone. "Oh, nothing. It just means you're about to get your door kicked down."

' _What!?_ '

That one word was all he could think before the door to his room literally _flew_ in right over his head, barely missing his skull as it sailed by and shattered against the wall!

Scrambling into motion, he quickly reached for the panicswitch on the other Scroll he kept on hand, the one to alert the others to something like this happening…and it wasn't there!

"Looking for this?"

His head swiveled to the direction of the voice, his eyes widening in panic as he saw the tallest man he'd ever seen tossing the device up before catching it in his own palm. "Sorry, no calling your friends. That's ruin the fun."

' _Ah, hell._ '

oOoOoOoOo ? oOoOoOoOo

' _Great, THIS shit again._ '

Jaster was currently standing opposite of another Faunus, a large and rather hairy man with barely noticeable bear ears hidden in his thick mane. The two of them were being watched, for the _second_ time that day, by some of the others around them.

They were currently engaged in another argument, with Kain doing his damn best to convince him to kill the damned girl they currently had hostage. The big guy had gotten antsy since the whole _negotiation_ slant to the plan had gotten started, seeing it as a sign that things had gone south.

As much as Jaster didn't want to admit it, the Bear Faunus kinda had a point. Longer negotiation periods hadn't been a part of the plan, the wanted to keep in charge from the start and scare Winter Schnee into giving them what they wanted. This unexpected change was getting a lot of them nervous.

"Dammit, Kain! I told you we need to keep the girl kept alive, so stop pushing it!"

The bear Faunus was now practically growling at him. "Come on, Jaster! We're supposed to be the ones calling the shots for this crap, not that Ice Queen on the other side of the line! This plan has gone to shit, so let's kill the brat and -!"

Jaster stopped him with a punch to the face before he could finish, knocking the man to the ground. Dammit, things were all going to hell! This all seemed so much easier when they were planning everything out, so much simpler. "If we kill her they'll just come after us even harder. Kidnapping her is one thing, murdering her is something else entirely. They'll come down on us like a collapsing house of bricks, and I'm pretty sure _none_ of us want that!"

' _Damn it all, this is getting outta control._ '

Picking himself up from the ground, Kain shot him a dirty look before walking off, trying to stave off the bleeding from his freshly broken nose. The Bear Faunus had been giving him problems since this whole debacle had started, advocating that they just kill the little Heiress from the start and move on. That guy had one _hell_ of a grudge against the SDC.

He glared at the few Faunus that had taken a moment to watch the scene, silently telling them to get back to their posts.

Hell, if things didn't wrap up soon than everything was gonna fall apart. Michael had better call back soon, or he might lose control of the situation.

As if fate would have it, his Scroll picked _that_ particular time to ring.

oOoOoOoOo Michael oOoOoOoOo

He heard his Scroll pick up from the other end. "Michael, that you?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, keeping his voice calm and level. Doing his best to sound normal even as his capturer held a hand around his throat, his eyes cold and glittering with a silent promise of death if he slipped up. A hand around the throat might not _seem_ like such a big threat, but this guy's hand could reach around Michael's whole neck, not to mention he'd seen him pull out and _crush_ a piece of cement barehanded to show what he could do. One word of warning to the others and he'd be dead. "It's me. Listen, I'm almost done. I've got them at the end of their rope, so just give me a little more time and we can get moving."

Jaster sighed in audible relief at that, looks like the others had been giving him some trouble. "Good. Does that mean you got the info we need?"

"No," he answered, "They'll still need a little time to get the info, but we should have it by tomorrow. Just sit tight and we'll walk outta this with all the shipment info."

"Tomorrow? Alright, I'll see what I can do to keep these guys calm. I tell ya, you couldn't have said this at a better time, some of these guys look like they were about to mutiny or something. Call later when everything's gone through."

Jaster hung up and Michael barely saw the blur before he blacked out.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

(One Hour Later)

"So," Joshua drawled out, looking over the area. "This is the place, huh?"

Andrew nodded, looking down at the same area. "Yes, it is. Beck was _very_ clear about the area, probably worried about what might happen if he lied to me." The blond man's face twisted into a grin without even an ounce of humor. "Smart move. It certainly made this go by much quicker."

Ryou sighed. "We get it, you're the one who made this happen for us. You don't gotta keep reminding us." He turned to Joshua, "So, what now?"

He smiled, looking over the area. The place wasn't too impressive, just a reasonably sized main building of wood what looked like the typical plaster, positioned right by a mine entrance into the mountain. The place was in surprisingly good condition, but was otherwise unremarkable.

The problem was the windows and rather sizable empty area. They couldn't approach it right now, not without being seen, but he did have _another_ way of doing reconnaissance.

Making a show of reaching into his coat, he materialized his Grimm Mask and quickly slipped it on. With his huge boost to his AP and two more Players around for insurance, he was a little more confident in using it safely.

The moment it came on, the world ahead of him seemed to come to life, allowing him to see so clearly against the growing evening darkness.

But that wasn't why he put it on, oh no, it was because now he could see the _Aura's_ of everybody inside the building. His eyes flickered from one to the other, quickly taking count of them and noting their positions by any windows and means of entry. He also paid a little more attention to one in particular, a small Aura belonging to a young child. She was scared, terrified even, but not injured. Good.

Quickly reaching up, he pulled the Grimm Mask off and made another show of putting it back into his coat as he sent it back to his Inventory.

"What was that?"

He turned to Winter, shooting her a disarming smile. "Just doing a trick for some reconnaissance. There's twelve guys in there, with your sister held in a room under the floor and being watched by two guards."

The young woman's eyes widened briefly in surprise, her mouth opening as if to ask him how he knew before quickly shutting. Nodding her head in acceptance, she looked down at the area below, searching for avenues of attack. "Any suggestions?"

He stood up to his full height, giving her a nod of affirmation. "I've already got a plan in mind, but we'll need to wait until dark. That little phone call we arranged should've gotten their guard down, but we can't afford to just rush in." He looked up, seeing the sun set beyond the horizon, shadows stretching along the ground as night came. "Just a little longer and you'll have your sister back."

Her hand clenched on the handle of her weapon, shaking in anticipation. "I can hardly wait."

 **xXx**

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I gave you all _two_ chapters in one day. Sorry I haven't been able to frequently update this fic for the past week or so, I've kinda been kept busy. Besides trying to balance this with my other fics, I've also started my Electrician Training and needed to get the studying and classwork done, so I haven't had quite as much spare time. I also wanted to save these two updates as a tribute for the anniversary of Monty's death, so I decided to make and post them both on this very day, February 2nd.

Anyway, next chapter is the ending of the Kidnapping Arc, not the best name, but maybe I could think of a better one later. After that, I'm gonna be working a little on A Scorpion's Successor, my OC Naruto fic. If you want, feel free to check it out.

Please review and have a nice day!


	11. A Blizzard Upon Your Bases!

Chapter 11

 **A Blizzard Upon Your Bases!**

 **First off, I'd like to apologize for the incorrect date. It was my intention to put the previous two chapters out on February 2** **nd** **, not the end of January, but I got the dates mixed up. You can't believe how much I berated myself for that mistake, it honestly felt like an insult of some kind to Monty and the realization left a profoundly bitter taste in my mouth. But now that I've got the dates more firmly placed, I can put this arc to a close TODAY, on the REAL date like I'd hoped.**

 **With that outta the way, I hope you all enjoy this conclusion to the arc. Here's to keeping alive the Will of Oum, a MUCH more inspiring thing that that Will of Fire crap from Naruto.**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Half an hour had passed since they'd all arrived at the old mine, letting the moments tick by as the sun set and night fell. The light in the sky was slowly but noticeably fading, shadows twisting and growing along the ground, under trees and behind mountains. Just a little bit longer and they'd be ready to go on in.

Looking around at the other three, he noted just how differently they were each responding to the coming attack. Guess everybody had their own way of reacting to this kind of pressure, huh?

Andrew, the level kinda guy he was, didn't seem fazed by any of this at all, just standing calm and quiet as the world went dark. He didn't seem to even budge, literally as still as a statue surrounded by the cold snow and tall trees. Joshua knew the guy was calm, but was there really _anything_ that could get him excited? Then again, if something was bad enough to send _Andrew_ into a panic, maybe it was for the better that he'd yet to encounter something that could get that kind of reaction.

Ryou was much the opposite, a whirlwind of motion as he started shadowboxing. Joshua wasn't sure if he was just keeping himself sharp or if it was just to pass the time, but the tall fella was punching away at speeds that would put most _bullets_ to shame. He was actually a little surprised there weren't any cracks in the air from the man essentially shattering the sound barrier. Maybe it was a Skill he had? There was no other way for him to punch that hard without making the sound of a gunshot.

Winter, the person who had the most to lose if this went south, was all tension. She wasn't stomping the ground or pacing a line in the snow covered ground, but she was _definitely_ feeling pressure from all this. She was standing still like Andrew, but, unlike the doctor's genuine calm, she was practically shaking in place. And it definitely wasn't from the cold, not with the combination of warm clothing and the protection of her own Aura. She didn't want to stand around and wait, she wanted to _move_ , to go down there and _do_ something, but she couldn't do so without ruining the plan they'd already made and putting her sister in greater danger.

He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry."

She stopped shaking, turning her head just enough to see his hand and follow it up to his face. Seeing the gesture as the offer of support it was, Winter nodded in acknowledgement. Turning her face back to look down at the area they would soon attack, he noticed that her shaking had died down a little and removed his hand.

He looked at the sun far in the distance and the growing darkness. Just a little bit longer, another ten minutes and everything would be ready.

oOoOoOoOo Jaster oOoOoOoOo

Whoever thought kidnapping was supposed to be an _easy_ crime must've been the world's biggest idiot. That was Jaster's opinion, at least. This little venture had been almost mind numbing from the very start. Capturing the girl, finding a place to lay low, setting up a way to send out demands, and not to mention keeping these guys under control, _definitely_ wasn't easy. He was pretty sure he'd probably lost a few years off his life span from the stress.

But now, finally, it was coming together. Michael would call tomorrow with the information they needed and they could start intercepting Dust shipments. It wouldn't be easy, but gathering that stuff up would go a long way to giving them a power base to work on.

Dust wasn't just fuel, it was _power_. Getting a strong stockpile of the stuff would be like sitting on gold, gold that could also double as explosives or ammunition, not to mention using it the old fashioned way. Having enough of it would make their future plans _much_ easier.

So, in all honesty, he could say that the info would be worth all the trouble. They'd be sitting on a fortune and ready to start thinking bigger.

The only loose end was the brat, but they wouldn't be needing her much longer.

"Hey," someone called out, a watcher by one of the windows. "It's snowing outside."

He rolled his eyes at that. Of _course_ it was snowing, this was _Atlas_. It was always snowing up here. "How's that something new? It's not like we ever get Summer up here. Did you just forget where we are?"

"No, I mean it's _really_ snowing outside. I can't see a damn thing."

' _What?_ ' He moved over to another window to check and, true enough, it was snowing _hard_ outside. Hell it looked like a blizzard was going on, a curtain of swirling white appearing outside the windows in the dark night. ' _What the hell? The weather didn't say anything about a blizzard._ '

Snow and cold weather was nothing new up in the northernmost of the Four Kingdoms, but a snowstorm like this was rare out of specific times in the winter. Sure, freak storms might happen once in a while, but the people of Atlas had long gained the means of somewhat predicting them.

He turned from the window and leaned back against his pillar. "It doesn't change anything. Just keep watching for anything out of the ordinary."

The watcher up top saluted him and went back to his job, staring out the window and trying to see anything possible through the snow. Not exactly a glamorous thing to do, but still necessary, despite the really low chances of him seeing anything worth alerting them over. Who would come for them out here? _Especially_ in the middle of a snowstorm?

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Joshua smiled at the scene below him, the mining warehouse completely surrounded by a swirling cloud of snow and fine pieces of ice. No matter how fast they could get down, they still needed to avoid being seen, and that meant they needed to cut off the visibility of everyone inside. They'd actually been stumped for a while as they tried to come up with ways to cover their approach, but they kept coming to dead ends.

Sure, Ryou _was_ probably fast enough to get inside and get Weiss out, or at least take everyone down while Joshua and the others moved in, but it was still risky. Ryou would still probably take a second or two to actually get in, easily enough time for one of Weiss' watchers to pull the trigger of a gun near her head. Joshua told them about the possibility of using his _**Skip**_ Skill to quickly enter the area with Weiss, but he wasn't as fast as Ryou, so he'd be easily seen on the way in.

Embarrassing and frustrating as it was, they were stumped.

That was, until Winter told them about her skills with using Dust. That was the point where they started brainstorming on ways to build on that and came up with a solid plan. Using Andrew's Semblance to empower Winter and give her a boost to her AP, she'd be able to use her Ice Dust to create a swirling storm of snow around the building to hide their movements, allowing them to get closer.

"Great job, Winter. Just keep it up a little longer."

The young woman flashed him a brief glare. "Easier said than done. Now get moving! I can't keep this up for long."

He got the message and moved on down, quickly slipping on his Grimm Mask. It was time to move onto his own part of the plan, and he needed to know the _exact_ place to go.

Seeing the lights of the Aura's within coma alive, he ran around to an isolated room around the back. A storage room, nothing impressive, but it was where Weiss was being held and watched by her two guards. That room was his destination, and his Semblance was the key to get in.

Pulling out a crystal of Wind Dust, he got into position and braced himself to run. He'd only get this chance once, and Weiss would die if he screwed it up, so he waited until both guards were looking away from her and close together. Perfect.

He pushed himself along the ground, carefully gauging his running speed and the distance to his entry point before he activated **Skip** , reappearing inside the building and right behind the two guards.

Quickly pulling out the Wind Dust, he activated the crystal and cast a Dust Spell to silence the area, keeping any noise from entering or exiting the immediate area. Just in time, because they turned around the moment he casted it, their faces quickly shifting in shock. Not too surprising, considering some guy just appeared behind them in a Grimm Mask. He probably would've reacted much the same way.

They levelled their guns at him and pulled the triggers, but he shoved the barrels away before the rounds could come out as he activated **Fast** , boosting his speed by a wide margin. He still wasn't close to Ryou's speed, but he was _way_ ahead of these two guys.

The bullets impacted silently against the ground, no noise coming because of his stilling of any sound, and he immediately went on the offensive. Grabbing their wrists, he twisted until the guns were dropped and caught them in his own hands, putting them in his coat and shooting his fists out, not even bothering to activate any of his Boxing Skills.

The one on the right took the hit straight to his face, his nose breaking and the front of his face seeming to physically _crumple_ inward from the impact, even as he seemed to shoot several meters away and land _just_ shy of hitting the wall.

The left one took his blow to the temple, his eyes rolling into the back of his head and part of his skull seemed to shatter like the shell of an egg. He slammed down into the ground as the blow sent his face plummeting to the floor, silent and unmoving.

And just like that, they were both down for the count. With _plenty_ of time for his Dust induced silence to spare.

Turning around, he finally saw the little girl that all this trouble was for. Weiss Schnee.

 **Weiss Schnee**

 **Lvl. 2**

She was a small girl of roughly ten years old, the colors of her eyes and hair being the exact same as those of her older sister. She was wearing a light blue dress with white and blue highlights, the skirt reaching down below her knees, though it was rather dirty now from what she'd gone through.

And she was terrified. Terrified of _him_. What the hell? He'd gone through all this trouble, busted in here, taken care of these two guards, and she had the _nerve to be_ _ **scared of**_ -

He ripped the mask off his face. Shit, that was close. It looked like the thing was messing with his head again, and seeing Weiss' fear probably didn't help. Did the thing somehow respond to people's negative emotions?

Well, he could think about that later.

Immediately putting the mask back into his Inventory, he slowly walked over to the little girl, tied up with thick rope around her bound arms. She was obviously scared, even trying to shuffle away from him as he got closer, but her back hit the wall and she couldn't move any farther.

Stopping a short distance away from her, he stood and waited for her to calm down from the fear, trying to shoot her a friendly look once the area was no longer silenced. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm helping your sister get you out of here."

That didn't calm her down _much_ , but at least it helped her tone down the terrified shaking. "W-Winter's here?"

Her voice came out slightly raspy, like she hadn't used it for a while. Probably unsurprising, he doubted these guys would've been interested in conversation with her. They probably didn't even give her any water or food, why bother when they were probably gonna kill her later?

Dismissing that line of thought, he nodded and smiled at her. "Yeah, she's here. You okay?"

She kept staring at him for a while, looking at him like she didn't quite know what to believe. He was sure she'd hoped someone would come for her, but never expected someone like _him_. To be fair, he wouldn't have expected someone like him to come by either.

He just walked up to her, and undid the ropes restraining her. The marks showed that they must've tied them tight, a notion that was reinforced when she seemed to have some trouble moving them around. Ignoring him for a moment, she tried rubbing some life and feeling back into her arms and regain sensation from them.

They stayed like that for almost a minute. Him silently watching her and letting her know she wasn't alone, Weiss still nervous and trying to tell herself this was all real. He didn't interrupt or try to force her to speed up, she'd already had enough of that kind of thing from this whole kidnapping.

When she finished rubbing her arms, she started shaking again. Shivering like a leaf, she turned her face up to his and showed the tears starting to form in her eyes. Hiccuping sobs started to escape from her throat and she averted her eyes again, looking down to the ground. "I-I want to g-go home."

He reached a hand out to her shoulder, steadying her and giving the girl an anchor. It was honestly a little awkward, but she'd been through a lot and needed some reassurance.

Using his other hand to pullout his Scroll, he called up Andrew and told him that it was time for him and the others to get moving.

These guys were gonna _pay_.

oOoOoOoOo Jaster oOoOoOoOo

It happened so damned fast that he barely even noticed. The sudden clearing of the snowstorm outside, two watchers up top shouting out that people were incoming, and then one of the walls just _fell in_ and everybody started shouting!

Pulling out his gun, he took a quick aim and pulled the trigger on some blond guy that was running toward him. The bullet didn't seem to _do_ much, because it just glanced right off the guy's Aura, a brief flash appearing on his temple where the bullet hit and glanced off.

Pulling back to get some distance, he kept shooting to see if he could take the bastards Aura, trying to chip it sown. But no matter how many times he hit him, the guy just didn't go _down_. ' _Dammit, how strong is the Aura on this guy?_ '

And this bastard wasn't the only one, either. Even as he kept shooting there was a blur zipping from one of his guys to the other, taking them out one by one and sending them flying into the walls, support beams and even the crates that were scattered around the room. He even saw it stop in front of one of his guys carrying an assault rifle, wait for him to line him up, then proceed to dodge _every_ bullet that came out while standing _right_ in front of it! What the hell!?

Then he saw what probably struck him as the worst thing about all this. Walking-no, _prowling_ into the building, was none other than _Winter Schnee_! A very _pissed off_ Winter, if the glare and barely restrained snarl on her face could be any indication. She marched forward and swung her blade out, releasing a hail of icicles to impale what few people were left, their barely fluid blood pooling around them in puddles of crimson.

And it was at the moment she saw _him_ , that Jaster knew he was completely and utterly _SCREWED_.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Weiss was currently huddled up in his arms, shaking in fright at the noise outside. Screaming, whistling wind, lifeless thunks on the ground, gunshots, he could easily get why she would find the noises so terrifying. Add that it was all on top of an experience with kidnapping and he was surprised she wasn't responding even worse.

So he did what he could to keep her calm. Holding her in his arms as she clung to him, whispering encouragements to keep her calm, trying to keep her more occupied with his voice instead of the sounds of fighting. Not easy, but doable.

Of course, he was also keeping her close so he could shield her from any stray shots. He could tell from her stats that she hadn't unlocked her Aura, so even a glancing hit could be very nasty for her. Better for Joshua to take the hit himself, he was more than durable enough to take some gunshots.

Fortunately, the noise soon died down. Given the rather astronomical odds of the White Fang guy's actually winning, it looked like Winter and his friends had mopped everything up.

It was made even more obvious as the door burst open and Winter entered, spotting him in an instant. "Where's Weiss?"

The little girl stirred at the familiar voice. "Winter?"

Removing his arms, Joshua let Weiss go and watched as she rushed towards her sister. "Winter!"

The elder sister got down on a knee and embraced Weiss as the little girl contacted her, wrapping her arms around her and releasing a great sigh. For a moment, he almost thought he could see a tear forming in her eye, but the thought vanished soon after. She really didn't strike him as someone who'd let tears come out.

Weiss, on the other hand, was practically _bawling_. Tears flowing free from her face as she let out hiccupped sobs and clung to her sister tightly. She sounded like she was saying something, but her words were so mixed up with her crying that it was really hard to tell. For all her knew, she could've just been speaking in relief filled gibberish.

He carefully walked around them to give the sisters some privacy, uninterested in intruding on their moment. This wasn't something for him to stay for, not something this personal.

Entering the large main area of the building, he whistled in appreciation at all the damage he saw. Sheets of ice covering stretches of ground, icicles punching clean through the walls, countless bullet holes and more than a few people somehow shoved half way through the walls themselves. Looks like Ryou might've gotten a little feisty.

Speaking of Ryou, the tall Player was currently leaning against a concrete beam in the center and looking over the carnage with a smile. Walking over to join him, the smarmy prick looked at him with his usual smug grin. "Oh, Joshie. I was wondering when you'd show up for the party." He made a show of looking around the area, a serious expression that was _way_ too out of place on his face. After a brief sweep, he looked at him with a look resembling mock disappointment. "So sorry, looks like the fun's over. Ya missed it all."

Joshua just rolled his eyes at the attempt at humor. "Yeah, bad timing. I'm guessing you pulled some kinda bullshit trick with your speed."

He had the audacity to give a mock gasp and put on an expression of hurt pride. "Me, showing off? I had no idea you thought I had such an ego."

"That's because you really _do_ have a big ego."

"Damn right I do, and proud of it." He puffed out his chest, standing at his impressive full height to give the image of some proud warrior. He might've pulled the act off if Joshua didn't already know how much of a smarmy _jackass_ he was. "Ego can be a good thing, y'know. If we didn't have the expectation of our own egos, we wouldn't have the motivation to even get up in the damn morning. What's the point of living if you don't have something to live up to?"

Joshua almost called him on that before the words actually registered, causing him to slowly shut his mouth. "Wow, that's….actually kinda profound. I never expected that coming from _you_."

Ryou just responded by blowing a raspberry at him.

Oh, and it was apparently a _supersonic_ raspberry. Lucky him.

oOoOoOoOo

It was a long walk back to Silberlicht. A walk made rather uncomfortable by the darkness, but the mining area wasn't too far from the town itself. That was probably one of the reasons the kidnappers had chosen it as their base of operations, far enough away to hide but close enough to have easy access to the town.

The crunching snow beneath their feet was the only real noise, nobody being very interested in talking. Frankly, there wasn't really any _need_ to. They all just came back from what was essentially a rescue mission and they were all dead tired from everything, as much as Ryou was trying to shrug it off.

Plus, none of them wanted to wake up a sleeping Weiss. The little girl was currently being carried piggyback by Joshua as they headed back to town, wrapped in a thick blanket and wandering around in dreamland, even as he did his best to walk smooth and straight. The little girl had gone through enough, easily more than the rest of them put together, she needed some sleep.

Fortunately, it didn't take them too long to get back to town. There was only three or so miles of distance between Silberlicht and the mining area they'd just assaulted, so they made it back in slightly over an hour by walking in a straight line through the forest. The Grimm might've been a problem, but Ryou made literally quick work of anything long before it could get close. For all the shit he talked, he could definitely back up his confidence in his speed.

Once they got to the town, it didn't take them long to head back to the 'Winter's Refuge' and finally get to some safe territory. Having Ryou open the door to his apartment, Joshua headed to his room and tucked Weiss into the bed. After probably not sleeping at _all_ for the past day or so, she needed it more than he did. Heading silently back to the living room, he spied everyone else sitting at what he'd dubbed _their usual spots_ in the room. Ryou and Andrew currently seated in their chairs side by side, Ryou the picture of irreverent relaxation and Andrew calm and reserved as ever. Winter was on the leftmost cushion of the couch, her head currently resting in her palm as it was kept aloft by her elbow on the armrest. They barely gave any sign to acknowledge him as he came in and took his own seat on the couch, opposite to Winter's position.

Winter spoke first, unsurprisingly. "Is she sleeping okay?"

His lips quirked. Of course she'd be asking that. "Like a rock. Doesn't look like she's having any nightmares, either."

Winter didn't verbally respond, just relaxing a little bit more at the news. She definitely wasn't the expressive type.

Ryou's deep sigh broke him from his thoughts. "So, that's over. What are we gonna do now?"

Andrew rose up from his seat. "I for one, am rather eager to go to bed. Ryou, I've got several other beds back at home if you'll need a place to sleep for the night."

Ryou stood up and let out a loud yawn, showing just how much he appreciated the offer. "Sounds good. Let's go."

They both quickly headed out after that, leaving Joshua and Winter alone in his living room. Unfortunately, that still left the problem of either of them having beds of their own. The only one for this apartment was currently occupied by Weiss, and he was pretty sure Winter didn't want to disturb her. Even if she _was_ willing, the bed still wouldn't be big enough for three people.

' _Guess I'll have to arrange for another room tonight._ '

"Winter," he spoke out, getting her attention. "I'm gonna see if I can get another room for tonight. You want one? I've got the money for it."

But she was shaking her head before he even finished. "No. Thank you, but I want to stay with my sister for tonight. I' can just sleep on the couch."

He shrugged. At least he tried. "Fair enough. You'll find some blankets in the hallway closet. See you in the morning."

He barely registered her nod as he turned for the door. It was a little past 9:30, so the receptionist should still be up. Lucky, otherwise he couldn't rent a room whether he wanted to or not. They really came back _just_ in time.

"Joshua."

He stopped, almost stumbling in place from his fatigue. _Sigh_ , what did she want now?

Turning around, he was surprised to note that Winter had a light blush on her face and was currently standing up. Before he could comment on it, she dipped into a quick bow towards him and said, "Thank you. For everything." Then she sat back down and tried _very_ hard to avoid looking his way.

' _Women can be so weird sometimes_ '

Well, it wasn't his problem. His only interest right now was getting some damned sleep and he wasn't gonna let some confusion stop him. Giving her a brief nod, he turned back to the door, exited the room, and headed to the receptionist. The man put up a brief argument about the oddity of someone having two rooms, but that was quickly silenced by a rather generous helping of lien. Soon enough, he had another room reserved for the night and a bed to sleep in.

Entering the room, he quickly headed to bed and took off his clothes, climbing into the covers and falling fast asleep.

' _What a fucking_ day _._ '

 **xXx**

Monty Oum, I offer you this chapter as tribute to you on this day. As a way to thank you for your inspiration, I'll keep doing my best to pump chapters out for all my fics and finish them. Works should never be left unfinished, and I hope you're smiling with the knowledge that your own work lives on through Rooster Teeth and the many fans that were guided by your example and sheer awesomeness.

 **Monty Oum**

 **6/22/1981 – 2/1/2015**

 **R.I.P**

Anyway, I'm gonna be focusing on my other two fics after this chapter. I wanted to get these three out as a tribute to Monty, so now that I'm finished I'm gonna get to work on A Scorpion's Successor. Feel free to check it out if you like decent Naruto fanfiction, because I can guarantee I'm putting as much effort into it as I am with the fic right _here_.

Please review and have a nice day!


	12. A New FriendI Think?

Chapter 12

 **A New Friend….I Think?**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

 **Name: Joshua Bridger**

 **Level: 90**

 **Health Points (HP): 2,690**

 **Aura Points (AP): 4,570**

 **Stamina: 2,690**

 **Strength: 70**

 **Vitality: 80**

 **Agility: 50**

 **Dexterity: 50**

 **Wisdom: 175**

 **Intelligence: 80**

' _Damn_ ,' Joshua thought, looking his stats over again. ' _You think seeing this would get old, but it stills feels fresh every time._ '

It had only been around two weeks since he'd gained such a massive boost in Levels from killing the Deus Stratta and everything that had followed. It'd all been a massive clusterfuck at the time, but many things seemed so much less imposing when you looked back on them.

After saving Weiss and making sure the loose ends had been tied up, she and her big sister quickly called home for transportation back. He hadn't exactly been eavesdropping, but the shouting over the phone made it pretty clear that papa Schnee wasn't happy about Winter going behind his back. It's not that the man wasn't relieved to know they were okay, but he still seemed pretty damn pissed that Winter ran off to do it without telling him and ending up putting herself at risk.

Hmm. Now that he thought about it, Winter actually _did_ leave some stuff out. Like how her own transport had been ambushed and destroyed on her way down. Maybe it was for the best that her dear daddy didn't know about that.

Either way, a transport had showed up only a few hours after the call and they'd left. Winter made sure to thank them for all their help and headed on back home, though her gratitude had seemed a little awkward. Joshua got the distinct impression that she wasn't very used to owing or thanking people. Maybe it was her upbringing?

Still, the whole thing was done with pretty quickly and the three Players fell into a bit of a rhythm. They'd head on out to slaughter more Grimm and get some item drops, Joshua was able to gain another three Levels from the grinding, he and Ryou kept trading verbal jabs, and it gave Joshua some time to develop his new Skills.

Oh, dear _LORD_ , his new Skills.

 **Wisdom+ (Passive) Lvl. N/A**

 **Your eyes have been opened to a knowledge that most can't even fathom, clarity forming in your mind as new truths are revealed.**

 **Effect: With Wisdom now over 50 points, you now gain 30 points in AP per added point in Wisdom. Starts at 51.**

 **Aura Burn (Passive) Lvl. 4 XP 7.19%**

 **Aura may be a finite power to some, but to you? In your hands its scarcity makes it all the more potent, through desperation and improvisation in equal turn.**

 **Effect: All Aura Empowered attacks become stronger as the users AP lowers by intervals of 25%.**

 **Aura Missile (Active) Lvl. 5 XP 17.05%**

 **Through projecting Aura from your body and molding it into a rough physical form, you are now capable of utilizing projectiles powered through the light of your own soul.**

 **Effect: The User is capable of creating projectiles formed from shaped amounts of his/her Aura. The projectiles in question float in a pattern behind the user's body in preparation for firing. These projectiles are Aura Empowered and thus made stronger through the Wisdom Stat. They can be enhanced and altered through elemental attributes via Dust or other sources.**

 **Current Total: 3**

 **Heroic Strength (Passive) Lvl. 3 XP: 4.27%**

 **By honing the might of your body, you've stepped into a realm of physical strength known only to the heroes of ancient history. Hone it further and become a legend of your own.**

 **Effect: Grants a 50% increase to physical damage from physical attacks and Physical Skills.**

 **Overcharge (Active) Lvl. 4 XP: 17.03%**

 **Sometimes a spell as it is just isn't enough. Sometimes it needs just a little extra kick to make a difference. You've found a way to make that happen.**

 **Effect: By channeling more Aura Points into fuel for the Aura Skill, you are capable of empowering the Skill and speeding up the process for its manifestation. By paying twice the cost of Aura Points, the Aura Skill is made twice as powerful and can be released at half the charge time.**

 **Eagle Eye (Passive) Lvl. 3 N/A**

 **You've gained a preternatural skill at spotting an enemy's weak points. And with that clarity comes a great skill at exploiting them for full effect.**

 **Effect: The user is now able to see the points of an enemy's body that will count as a point for a Critical Hit. The areas are now highlighted for the user as points on an enemy's body with colors representing their severity. In addition, Critical Hits now deal 100% extra damage.**

 **Mobilization (Passive) Lvl. 5 XP: 12.36%**

 **The first move means more than anything when a battle begins. The ability to take that first move and make the most of it can make or break a victory, something you're well aware of.**

 **Effect: Movement and attack speed is increased by 100% for the first ten seconds of the battle. This time increases along with the Level of the Skill.**

 **Body of Iron (Passive) Lvl. 2 XP: 9.87%**

 **Some victories just don't come easy, barely being caught by the very skin of your teeth. But you refuse to go down, refuse to be done in from mere injury or pain. No matter what, you will win.**

 **Effect: Physical Defense is increased proportionate to the Player's loss of AP in intervals of 25%.**

Yeah, he'd dare say he'd made _plenty_ of progress on that front. He remembered many of these Skills from his previous Avatars, and they were all very handy in spite of some of them seeming a little basic. They were all designed to better enhance the playstyles of someone who focused their Stat Points on a particular archetype, but using them together presented whole _worlds_ of opportunities.

That was part of the reason he'd spread out his Stat Points somewhat. Specialization wasn't a bad idea, but it was all too limiting when taken to an extreme. Some Skills only worked best when used in combination with other Skills. Combining **Overcharge** with **Aura Burn** was one such example, he knew from experience that they had great synergy.

Beyond taking some time to grind his abilities, he hadn't really had too much to keep himself occupied. He was strong enough to be reasonably safe for the moment in regards to fighting abilities and pretty damned well off on a financial level. Ryou and Andrew had also both slowed down a bit, with Ryou apparently making himself at home in Andrew's rather large home. Looks like the smarmy bastard wasn't leaving for a while.

So with nothing else to really occupy his time, he was currently just strolling around in what was generally called Silberlicht's Shopping District. There were quite a few nice shops around here, with wares ranging from jewelry and clothes to weapon shops. There were even a few places that made custom orders, for the right price of course. In short, it was practically a slice of Heaven for anybody interested in even moderately high spending.

Which made it a little painful for him, since he was almost entirely limited to window shopping regarding the stuff he was _interested_ in.

Oh, it wasn't because of something like a lack of money. Far from it, the money he'd gotten from looting the Deus Stratta, on top of the fortune he'd gained from using his Semblance in the casino, had left him with more than enough money to probably buy up a large chunk of the Shopping District right off the bat. Buying up some Dust and having a weapon commissioned was nothing, barely a drop in the bucket for him right now.

No, the problem was that he still lacked identification and anything resembling proof of citizenship.

It was kinda funny, albeit in a cruel way. He probably had more money than a large chunk of the people of Silberlicht put together, but he couldn't use it for anything substantial because he lacked a citizenship status. He could buy food and most conventional purchases, but weaponry or Dust? You couldn't just walk in and pay for it with just lien, you needed a special license to show you were qualified for purchasing that stuff, or at least a form from someone in a position to sponsor you.

He bit back another sigh, looking at some of the wonderful Dust in the shop that he'd probably never be able to use. ' _Why the hell didn't I fill out a background for my Avatar?_ '

…..Then again, filling out that background probably would've taken up enough time that the game would've shut down before he could even play. Kinda weird how that works out, huh.

His train of though was interrupted by the in-store TV, flashing a warning broadcast to get attention. Turning his attention to the TV in question, he saw the newscaster looking at the camera with his usual calm expression, though it was noticeably strained this time. Kinda odd, did something about this announcement hit close to home?

"We interrupt your regularly broadcast to bring you this special bulletin. As of yesterday, at 2:35 P.M., another seven people have been found dead under circumstances that give the authorities reason to believe them connected."

The shot changed to what looked like the end of a crime scene with a number of corpses under pale tarps. There were quite a few dark stains on the tarps themselves, showing there must've been quite a bit of blood on the bodies. "People around the area during the execution of the crime were noted to have heard screaming coming from the second alley on Birch St. in the capital of Atlas. Those that approached to discover the source of the sound were all found dead later after another individual called the police to investigate."

A list of names floated past the bottom of the screen even as the man continued to speak, listing the dead. Adrian Toombs, Michael Richter, Alan Gramme, Richard Keller, Elena Westermore, Daniel Ferou and Riza Hawthorne.

…..Wait, Hawthorne?

Looking at the name of the newscaster as he came up, Joshua cringed slightly when he saw the man's name. Rupert Hawthorne.

No wonder he looked strained, the poor guy was essentially reporting the murder of a member of his own family. And it didn't look like she died painlessly, either.

"The victims discovered at the scene of the crime were all found with numerous, even dozens, of puncture wounds, making it quite clear that they were all stabbed to death." The man's eye twitched slightly, his lip giving a barely noticeable quiver. "The believed murder weapons were all found at the scene of the crime, covered in blood and….and….clenched in the hands of the victims….Implying the situation was a murder-suicide. Nobody was….nobody was…."

The broadcast cut off, showing a "Technical Difficulties" sign as they tried to get things under control. Dear god the guy was shaken up. A reaction like that must've meant losing his wife or daughter. That was terrible enough, but the _situation_ of her death was some kinda nightmare.

The cashier let out a sigh. "There's another one. These kinda things have been popping up all over the place. What the _Hell's_ going on?"

' _Good question,_ ' Joshua thought. This wasn't the first time that this _exact_ thing had been broadcasted, it had happened three other times over the month. It wasn't even this stuff alone, a bunch of other weird and horrible crimes had been happening. Small apartments getting massacred, arson that set mid-sized city blocks ablaze, whole families literally beaten to paste on the walls, whole clinics having the people in them literally cut to pieces, this nightmare fuel had been happening all over Atlas for the past month. Nobody knew who the hell was behind it, but every branch of law enforcement had been put on it, keeping their eyes peeled and their ears to the ground to find out who the hell was behind it.

And he couldn't help the dark whisper in the back of his mind that said things were gonna get worse.

With his mood darkened more than a little from the broadcast, Joshua just walked out of the store and tried to take his mind off it with by checking out some of the other stores. As much as he hated to admit it, there wasn't really anything he could do until the people responsible were found. He wasn't a detective, he didn't really have any skills or training in investigation, he couldn't really do _anything_ about it. It honestly pissed him off, knowing that for all the personal help it was to be Level 90 didn't mean _anything_ in a situation like this.

Which meant he had to wait until the people involved were found, and then he'd kill them. After all, **Rewind** was _so_ useful for pulling people somewhere dark and silent where nobody would hear them scream.

oOoOoOoOo

After a few more hours of pointless window shopping and silently steaming at the broadcast, Joshua finally made his way back to his apartment. It was just past noon by the time he returned, the sun reaching its apex in the sky and shining down. Too bad the sun did little to actually brighten his mood.

Going up the stairs and getting onto the necessary floor, Joshua absently pulled out his key card and moved to swipe it to open the door. It had become almost a reflex by now, repeated so many times.

But then, right before he swiped the card, he froze. Something was….off. Something didn't seem quite right to him as he stood in front of the door. Looking it over for the source of his discomfort, Joshua quickly found what it was.

His door was open. Only slightly, barely enough to be noticeable, but it was opened. Even though he could've sworn that he been sure to close it before he'd left earlier.

His eyes narrowed slightly. ' _Looks like I got a visitor._ '

Slowly, careful not to make a sound, he opened the door and listened for any movement or noises. Contrary to what he'd expected, there was no sound at all. Was someone hiding?

Preparing his Semblance for a **Rewind** , Joshua steeled his nerves walked in.

Only to see someone with a rather familiar head of white hair sitting on the far end of his couch. "Winter?"

Then the head turned and he knew for a fact it was her. Not many people could quite get _that_ expression down, a combination of cool aloofness and practicality as she glanced his way and gave him a quick once over. "Ah, you're back. I was wondering when you'd return."

Joshua stood in place and blinked in confusion. "Wait, how'd you even get in? You don't have the key card for this room."

For a moment he could've sworn he saw something that, given water, sunshine and tender care, might've eventually passed for something resembling a smile. At least if she hadn't pulled it out by the roots early. "I made a personal monetary contribution to the receptionist's retirement fund. He was quite happy to help me in return, especially when I assured I had no intentions of causing trouble. I've been waiting here for roughly," she took a moment to check her watch. "Fifteen minutes."

"Wait a sec," he spoke out, incredulous. "You're telling me you _bribed_ the receptionist to get in here? _You_?"

"Bribery is such a strong word," she chastised, that _almost-smile_ appearing on her face again for a split second. "I prefer _incentive_. Much better implications."

Try as he might, Joshua couldn't really think of a counter to that. It was a little embarrassing for someone who took some pride in his ability to always have a witty remark available for use. ' _I can't believe she just shut me down._ '

Realizing defeat, he couldn't hold back the slight sigh. "Would you like something to drink?"

oOoOoOoOo

' _If anyone told me to expect this when I got home, I'd have told them they were nuts._ '

Seriously, Winter hadn't even so much as contacted him since she'd left for home with Weiss. Understandable, considering how busy she probably was, but it still proved his point. She didn't really have much reason to keep in contact with him after everything was said and done. So why was she here?

"Curious why I dropped by?" she asked, taking a quick and brief sip of her coffee.

' _Did I say something out loud, or is she just a mind reader?_ ' "Yeah, I gotta admit I'm a little curious. You don't really have much reason to show up here."

It was apparently the wrong thing to say, given the slight look of disappointment she shot him. Finishing her coffee and setting the cup down on the table, she shifted her legs and posture into a more dignified stance. "Don't have much reason?" she questioned. "That sounds silly coming from the very person who saved my sister."

Joshua shook his head. "I didn't do it alone," he countered. "Andrew and Ryou also helped out. We wouldn't have been able to recover her without their help."

"Perhaps," she conceded with a nod. "But _you're_ the one who convinced the White Fang to keep her alive, and _you're_ the one who put together the plans to retrieve her." For an instant, Winter's expression seemed to actually soften a little. Probably a trick of the light. "You're the reason I still have a little sister, don't try to play that off."

…..And yet again, Joshua couldn't think of something witty or snippy to say as a comeback. How could he after hearing something like that? ' _Dammit, won't I get a chance to say something funny any time soon?_ '

Pushing the thought aside, he focused back on the matter at hand. "So, you came here, all the way from Atlas Academy…just to _thank_ me for helping to save your sister?"

Her expression was kept carefully blank except for one raised eyebrow. "In part," she responded, her hand moving to retrieve some papers that she'd been keeping in her coat. "But then I came down to talk with you about _this_."

She threw the papers on the table, stapled and arranged carefully for effective presentation.

It also had his own name on the front in big bold letters.

"I'm rather curious," she said slowly, "about how _little_ is really recorded about you. As far as I can tell you have no ID, no citizenship, no records at all in Atlas to show you exist." She leaned forward slightly, her eyes boring into his own. "In fact, it wouldn't be incorrect to say you don't even exist. _Anywhere_."

Trying _very_ hard to keep the rising panic off his face, Joshua countered her look with a hard stare of his own. "Really? Imagine that." It wasn't much of a verbal riposte, but his mind was concerned with more important things at the moment.

This was bad. With the potential to be _VERY_ bad. The only reason he'd been able to get by so far was because he didn't make his lack of citizenship or ID known and by keeping under the radar. Winter finding out could potentially mean throwing it all out the window the moment she told anyone else. Especially if it was brought to the authorities.

It wasn't helped by her being a Huntress in training at Atlas Academy, probably the most militant of the Hunter Academies in Remnant. He didn't really know much about her personally, but he'd bet his right hand that she was a very hierarchal and law abiding individual. The odds of her keeping this secret were slim to none. And that was being generous.

' _I'm so boned._ '

His mind was running almost a mile a minute, planning out possible means of escape. Winter was the first problem, but subduing her to escape practically wasn't even a factor. Her level was so far below his that he could probably knock her out by giving her a hard tap with one of his fingers.

Killing her was also an option, but he immediately discarded it. Killing kidnappers like those bastards from the White Fang was one thing, killing someone like Winter just for convenience was something else entirely. Besides, it'd potentially cause him more problems that it would solve. Killing a daughter of the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company? He was pretty sure her dear daddy would put out a manhunt for him, and his lack of citizenship or ID wouldn't allow him to hide forever.

The thoughts were running through his head so fast that he almost missed Winter moving to pick the papers up from the table. "You know what this would mean, right?" she asked, holding the papers up in front of him. "And as a Huntress in training, it's my responsibility to make matters like this" she waved the papers slightly for emphasis, "known to the authorities."

She leaned back into her seat on the couch, her eyes not leaving his as she moved. "On the _other_ hand. You're the reason my sister is still alive."

Joshua quirked an eyebrow at her in response. "And what does that have to do with something like this?"

She seemed profoundly disappointed at his response for some reason. "More than you seem to think."

She got up and made for the kitchen, papers in hand and with her back turned to him. If Joshua wanted then he could've probably knocked her out and taken them right there, even killed her if he wanted to. But something in her movements told him to wait.

She stopped when she reached the sink, holding the papers up so he could see them over the drain. "So, in essence, I have two choices and each having an incentive." She motioned to the papers. "I could turn this information over to the proper authorities and have you deported for illegal immigration, with the incentive being law." She then motioned to him. "Or I can leave you be and pretend this information never came into my hands. With the incentive being that you saved my little sister."

Reaching into her pocket, he saw her pull out a small crystal of Fire Dust. Barely larger than a pebble and of noticeably low quality, the thing looked like it could barely substitute for a match.

Seeing her Aura glow slightly, he watched as Winter brought the tiny Dust crystal to the papers and concentrated on it. Then, barely five seconds in, the papers were on fire and rapidly burning to ashes as they fell into the sink.

Eyes widened slightly, Joshua watched as every scrap of evidence of his _lack_ of existence was burned away. As the last bit was blackened and dropped into the sink, he saw Winter twist the faucet and turn the water on, washing everything down the drain.

Turning the water back off, Winter casually walked back to the couch to take her seat across from him. Crossing her arms aver her chest and moving her right leg on top of the left, she calmly looked him in the eye and said, "No contest."

oOoOoOoOo

' _Ooh, the Shopping District. I haven't been here for….an hour. Nice to see the old stomping grounds haven't changed._ ' "Remind me why we're here again?"

Winter turned to look at him for a moment, shooting him yet another of what he come to call her 'Winter disapproves' kind of looks. "Shopping," she answered simply. "What did you think I brought you here for?"

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Oh, I dunno. Nice walk through town? Going to a movie and a restaurant? Night on the town?"

"It's barely 2:00 PM."

"All the more reason to start early."

Winter's exasperated sigh showed she was _finally_ starting to love his sense of humor. "Do you honestly think your jokes are entertaining or are you simply fond of your own voice?"

"It's my gift to the world," he quickly responded, smiling at her growing frustration.

"Then I hope you have money for refunds, as I'm certain you'll be getting a great many returns."

"No refunds or cash-backs. Only store credit."

She let out a low, hissing sigh of frustration. "By _GOD_ , there's no stopping you is there?"

"And you're finally starting to get it."

This little back and forth had been going on between them since Winter all but dragged him out of his apartment. Things became much less tense after she made it clear she wasn't gonna turn him in and they started talking a bit. Socializing obviously wasn't her biggest strength, but they quickly got onto a few topics. She was quite surprised to learn he had never gone through serious training in an Academy, Preparatory or otherwise.

She'd actually tried pressing him to sign up for Haven, telling him that General Ironwood could be convinced to pull some strings, but he declined. Joining an Academy would, if anything, just slow his growth down. He was already leagues ahead of _any_ Student in the Hunter Academies, his Level being more similar to that of an actual Huntsman. Curbing his Level Grinding due to classes that he could probably already pass was just pointless. Fortunately she gave up the attempt without too much of an argument.

But then the topic came to his lack of combat options and she suddenly told him to come with her to the Shopping District of town without really telling him why. What the hell could she buy here that she couldn't get back home?

That question floated around in his mind until Winter stopped in front of a shop. "Here we are."

Walking up beside her to take a look at the where she'd stopped, he turned to see the sign and entrance to...a weapon forging shop? "Hold on, what are we doing here?"

Seemingly ignoring his question, Winter calmly pushed the door open and walked inside as she beckoned him to follow. Rolling his eyes at her silence, Joshua did as she asked and walked in behind her. The Schnee moved with calm poise as she went up to the counter, tapping it with her fingers to get the attention of the employee who jumped to attention. "Hello, ma'am, how can I help you?"

"I would like to purchase a weapon for my companion here."

' _Wait, what?_ '

The cashier seemed just as confused. "Pardon me, but you're saying you want to purchase him a weapon? You must understand that's rather unusual."

"I'm well aware," she coolly conceded. "But it _isn't_ illegal, isn't it?"

The man's face twisted slightly. Winter had a point about that, it really wasn't illegal, though it was still highly irregular. Of course this meant nothing if she didn't have the necessary legal forms. "True. I suppose you must have the necessary permit?"

Winter grinned. "I'm a student at Atlas Academy, therefore that gives me the right to commission for weapons from stores like this. I have my identification right here." She quickly reached into her pocket to pull out her wallet and flash him her ID as a Student of the Academy.

The cashier still seemed a little reluctant, but he nodded in affirmation. "Alright, let's go to the back."

With that little matter of legality cleared up, the cashier escorted Winter and Joshua to the back of the store and show the _real_ stock of the store. Parts and pieces of every kind of melee and ranged weapon imaginable, bot modern and traditional. Swords and scythes, guns and crossbows, war hammers and grenade launchers, axes and shotguns, shields and sniper rifles, there was literally a weapon for everybody.

"Alright then," the cashier commented, turning back around to him and Winter. "Any ideas on what you'd like designed? We can go with basic weapons or, if you like, a type of combination. We have some very skilled weapon smiths on call for building any combination you'd like. Within reason, of course."

' _This is a dream, it's gotta be some kinda dream. Any moment I'll look down to see I'm not wearing pants and I'll wake up._ ' Joshua looked down. ' _Nope, still there._ '

Winter flicked him on the forehead, bringing him back down to earth. Or Remnant, as it were. "What are you waiting for? Pick something out. I'll pay for it, so you don't need to worry about the price."

"Oh. Right."

Winter shot him a barely noticeable smirk. "Oh, no witty retort? I'm almost a little disappointed."

"Give it time," he snarked right back in return, walking off to check some of the weapons. "I always bounce back."

And so began his hunt for a suitable weapon, checking the available stock on the walls and various diagrams of what _could_ or _would_ be there when the parts arrived. It was a very impressive collection, he had to admit. There were weapons her that would probably bring a gun fetishist to their equivalent of a nerdgasm.

But as he continued looking at them, there was one question guiding his eyes during the search. Which one would _he_ pick to use?

It seemed like a pretty simple question, but that was rather deceiving. Why? Because _everybody_ had their own approach to combat, their own philosophy and style. Sure, killing enemies with a massive Sniper-Scythe or Grenade Launcher-Warhammer was definitely awesome, but those kinds of weapons were _tailored_ to suit their user, not built for everybody. There was a number of different approaches to combat, and everyone needed to prioritize around a style that suited _them_.

So, how could someone choose a good weapon? By looking at their own abilities.

' _I'm fast,_ ' he thought, moving along the wall as he browsed the products. ' _I'm a mobile fighter that relies on quick movement to avoid getting hit, so that needs to be taken into account. I'm a dodger, not a Tank. Not by choice._ ' He stopped in front of what looked like a pair of long knives before moving on. ' _My current combat focus revolves around Boxing, but I've also got Skills for Archery and making my own ammunition, so I could make special arrows. Maybe Dust arrows, in fact. Maybe a long range weapon?_ '

He looked at the various _traditional_ projectile weapons available. Longbows, shortbows, crossbows and all their assorted ammunition. You'd think they would've been rendered obsolete by now, but you'd be wrong. While conventional firearms had certainly become more practical and widely used, the older projectile weapons still had their own advantages.

Relative silence was one of them. Another was that the arrows could be infused with Dust in any number of ways. Ever seen someone fire off an arrow infused with, or even _composed of_ , Fire Dust? The result was an explosion capable of consuming a large pack of Grimm. He'd actually seen it once back in the game. The projectile's speed could also be enhanced through Aura and Dust to move just as quickly as a bullet.

Honestly, if it weren't for Bows needing more training than guns to effectively use then they'd probably be the better choice.

' _It WOULD be nice to have a good long range option. And I've already got the Skill for it, but…._ '

But it would also probably mean putting his **Combat Boxing** on the back burner. That didn't quite sit well with him, not after all the work he'd done on it. It was taking a long time to level up, Martial Art Skills always tended to be long term choices, but he was making progress. He wasn't sure if he wanted to give it up.

' _But, then again, who said I'd have to give it up?'_

Turning from the Bows back to the Gauntlets, he looked the equipment over again before turning back to the Bows. He looked back and forth several times, an idea forming into his head. He could already see the finished product in his mind's eye, the perfect combination to suit his array of combat abilities. That said, it wasn't exactly a conventional one, not even by Remnant's standards.

….Ah, screw conventional.

"Can you make Combination Weapons?" he suddenly asked, turning to the man who'd led him and Winter back here.

He saw the employee's eyes sparkle slightly. "Ah, so _that's_ what you'd like, eh? What do you have in mind?"

Joshua gestured to the Gauntlets beside him and a Longbow on display. "A Combination Weapon between Concussive Gauntlets for hand-to-hand fighting with a Longbow secondary mode. With each mode having compartments for storing and releasing Dust. Of various kinds." He turned to Winter after he was done talking. "Uh….is this okay with you? I've got plenty of money to help pay."

Winter waved him off before he finished talking. "Don't fret over it. I told you I'd handle it, and I'm not taking that back."

Of course, Joshua didn't miss how the employee's eyes were practically _glittering_ now. Probably thinking of just how costly the order would be. Thinking about the potential profit. "Interesting idea, but doable. It _will_ take some time for it to be done though, our crafters should have it done by…one week from now. Is that satisfactory?"

' _Just a week? Is he serious?_ ' "Uh, yeah, that sounds good." Was this really happening? Him getting a weapon?

He got his answer when the employee walked up to the two weapons suggested and started taking notes and making some basic sketches. He was a pretty good drawer, from what Joshua had managed to see of the sketches. He also heard the man mumbling about various parts of the construction under his breath, off in his own little world. It was five minutes before the man seemed happy with the planning and escorted him and Winter back out, asking for Winter's payment and Joshua's own phone number to notify him of its completion.

"So," Joshua drawled, feeling oddly like he and Winter had just been kicked out. "That happened. What now?"

He turned to Winter only to see that she'd already started moving along the street. "What, now you're leaving me behind?"

Winter stopped and turned around to flash him another _look_. Dear God, he was starting to hate the little smile on her face from the _look_.

Wait, was this what it was like to be on the receiving end? Was _this_ what he'd been subjecting people to all this time.

…..Nah, he was infinitely funnier than Winter.

"I'm taking you to a Dust Registration Office to get the necessary license. You won't be able to legally purchase it, otherwise." She tilted her head, with that little smile growing _just_ a bit more. "Don't tell me you actually forgot, that couldn't say anything good about your memory."

' _Oh, so NOW you've got a sense of humor. Let's see how long that lasts with me around._ '

oOoOoOoOo

"Well," Winter sighed out, having finished a sip of her coffee. "I'd say that was a rather successful venture. What's your own opinion?"

"My opinion?" Joshua queried, still mixing the sugar in his own coffee. They'd stopped at a little café after Winter had arranged for his Dust Acquisitions License. Turns out that her connection to the SDC gave her some leeway when it came to the distribution of the Licenses. Go figure. "Well, given that I have a shiny new license and will soon have myself a shiny new weapon, I can't really complain." His expression pinched slightly. "Which feels _really_ weird, by the way."

The young woman rolled her eyes at him. "Is complaining your _only_ hobby?"

"Not at all," he tittered out, smiling. "I also like to joke, prank, mess with, _and_ drive people nuts. It's a gift."

Oh, there's that twitch again. The one she got where he was _sure_ he touched a nerve. That made seven twitches after all this time. He was gonna see if he could get ten of them before the day was over.

Winter seemed to bite back a retort before calming herself down. "Must you joke about _everything_?"

"So sorry, it's a mental condition. I'm incapable of taking anything seriously."

"Somehow, I can actually believe that. I'm not sure whether it's worrying or just depressing."

The little barbs kept flowing for a while, humorous and with no real intent to harm. Looks like Winter was actually pretty witty when she wasn't taking everything too seriously.

"Thanks," Joshua let out, perking her attention at his sudden change of topic. "Well, come _on_ , you just got me a weapon and a Dust Acquisitions License. That's not exactly small, y'know."

She just waved him off. "Don't thank me for it. I'm just paying you back, that's all."

The conversation wound down after that into a companionable silence, just the two of them enjoying their coffee as the day turned to night. It was actually kinda nice, just sitting down to relax a bit without having to worry about killing Grimm or grinding Levels or his Skills.

After roughly a half hour at the café, they paid the bill and headed back to Joshua's apartment. After a brief but intense argument in the lobby, Winter eventually settled for letting Joshua pay for her room. She'd already paid for _plenty_ of stuff on his account, he could at least do her that courtesy.

Then, right as they were about to split, Winter called out to him and handed him an envelope. Opening it, the contents were revealed to be a trio of what looked like invitations. A celebration for Weiss' recovery from her kidnapping.

"Seriously?" he ground out, irritation in his voice. "They want to _celebrate_ this? Wouldn't it just be better to leave this behind and move on?"

The look in Winter's eyes said she agreed with him. "My thoughts exactly, but it seems father wants to make a point of some kind. Or perhaps it's simply a PR stunt, I can't say for sure. Either way, as the people responsible for saving her, I thought you and your companions deserved the opportunity to attend."

Attend a fancy event like this? _Really_?

The incredulity must've shown on his face, because Winter quickly spoke to put him at ease. "You won't need to stay for long, just for a quick introduction with a few people. You'll practically be in and out in less than an hour and I'll make sure your lodgings will be taken care of. There will also be plenty of food if any of you are hungry."

Hmm. That _did_ make it a little easier. Still, what reason could….oh.

"It's Weiss, isn't it?"

He'd apparently hit the nail on the head, because Winter flashed him another one of those tiny and all too brief smiles. "Correct. She's been rather eager to meet you again and thank you for saving her. That's actually one of the reasons I'm hoping you'll be willing to attend."

"Oh," he droned out, raising an eyebrow at her. " _Just_ one?"

She turned around silently and entered her room with a cold "good night" and slammed the door on him. Awww, she's shy.

 **xXx**

Yo, everybody!

First off, I'd like to say I'm REALLY sorry for the long update wait. I've been kept busy with studying and writing stuff for the previous updates for my other fics right now. It doesn't help that I've also got tentative plans to put two MORE fics out, one for Fate/Stay Night and another for Highschool DxD. I'm gonna see if I can get the first chapter for my Fate/Stay Night fic out after this, so look for it.

As for those of you who may be wondering, that stuff earlier in the chapter about the murders isn't some throwaway. Let's just say it's a prelude ad things are gonna get dark soon. REALLY dark. You'll be seeing the antagonists I have in mind for this fic in another few chapter and trust me when I say that they're gonna be nasty. They'll essential be this fic's version of the "Knight of Cerebus" on tvtropes, the kinds of enemies that make the story a magnitude darker just by being in it. They're powerful, they're scary, and Joshua will REALLY have his work cut out for him.

Please review and have a nice night!


	13. Out Of Your Element

Chapter 13

 **Out Of Your Element**

xXx

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

"Come on, Ryou," Joshua muttered, getting more than a little fed up. "She went out of her way to get invitations for all _three_ of us. You're really gonna turn her down?"

"Fuck, yeah! I ain't going to some fancy dinner party just to get snubbed by some upper-class _pricks_."

Joshua was barely able to bite back a frustrated growl. It was almost _literally_ like trying to convince a brick wall, the only difference being that Joshua could at least _smash_ a brick wall. Ryou? Well, he was pretty sure Ryou was tougher than any brick wall. Not to mention faster.

Part of him actually kind of agreed with him on the last part, though. He didn't have much experience with the upper-class, but he knew enough to be pretty aware that he and his friends probably wouldn't be received too warmly. Thinly veiled insults and condescension weren't exactly high on his list of favorite things. Still…..

"You _do_ realize what you're turning down, right?" Since politeness didn't seem appealing to the man, Joshua decided on a different approach. "Come on, a night of celebration in the most prominent city of Atlas? Tasting food prepared by the best cooks?" Joshua cracked a smile. "Experiencing the night life of the city the night after the party?"

The brief twitch of Ryou's lips told him he was on the right track, but it still didn't look like he was gonna go along with it. Damn, he never knew the big guy could be so fucking stubborn.

He bit back a sigh as the man shook his head side to side. "Nope. Nice try, but no go. I'm not interested in those jackasses looking down on me. I can enjoy all the stuff you mention whenever I go there myself, _without_ needing to grit my teeth."

This little argument had gone on for a little over half an hour by now, Joshua and Ryou going in a verbal game of back and forth. He kinda expected some resistance from Ryou, but not quite to _this_ extent. It was getting kind of ridiculous.

Chancing a glance towards Andrew to see if he could get some support, he realized that plan wouldn't work when Andrew shook his head in the negative. At least he looked a little apologetic about it.

Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure _why_ he wanted Ryou to come along. He didn't exactly come across as a bad guy, but that did little to change the fact that he was _very_ abrasive and difficult to get along with. Frankly, he was usually a massive prick.

But for all he gave Joshua crap and liked rubbing his higher Level in his face, he still went out of his way to help get him up to speed. He wasn't exactly sure if they could be called _friends_ , but they helped one another out. Bringing him along to have fun at the party was a good way of thanking him.

But how _could_ he convince him? Ryou made no attempts to hide his disdain for the upper-class in general, and it was becoming increasingly clear that he wouldn't come along easily. What did he have to do?

…

…

…Wait. _That_ might work.

Making a show of letting out a resigned sigh, Joshua leaned back into his seat in apparent defeat. "Oh well. You win."

Ryou didn't buy it for even a moment. In fact, Joshua's seeming resignation just seemed to make him suspicious, his eyes narrowing. "Seriously? Just like that? You're _actually_ giving up?"

Joshua just leaned back in his seat on the couch, the image of resignation. "Yeah. Guess you won't be able to have some fun after all." He shrugged dismissively. "Too bad. It would've been pretty fun having you as an accomplice for everything. Guess I'll have all the fun for myself."

 _Now_ Ryou seemed to be listening. He was trying pretty hard to make it look otherwise, but Joshua noticed him tense slightly at the word 'accomplice'. "And just what the hell could you think of that I'd care about?"

He made sure to turn away _just enough_ to hide his smirk. ' _Hook, line, and sinker._ ' Carefully schooling his expression, he turned his head back and raised a questioning eyebrow. "You haven't figured it out? Come on; all those rich, snobby people gathered in one place just _waiting_ to be brought down a peg? I thought you'd _jump_ at the chance to humble them a little."

" _Humble_?" Ryou muttered, verbally rolling the word and doing his best (and failing) to hide the interest in his tone. "And how exactly are you planning on something like that? I mean," he tried _so_ hard to keep his smile down, "talking about staging something _embarrassing_ at such a big gathering?"

Ryou shifted his seating position to lean forward, looking at Joshua with an unmistakable glint of mischief in his eyes. Not to mention his trademark cocky grin. "You just might need some help to pull that off. Right, good buddy?"

' _Gotcha._ '

"Oh," Joshua playfully mused. "So you're coming? Great! Now we just gotta get the preparations done. Oh, we'll also need to get you a good suit."

"Yeah," Ryou nodded. "Preparations, gotta find out the place's layout and…" He stopped momentarily, thought only now catching up to what Joshua just said even as his eyes widened and he seemed to physically recoil. "Wait! _WHAT!?_ I ain't putting on a damned _tuxedo_."

Joshua was just about to say otherwise, but Andrew finally decided to get in on it. "Oh, I'm afraid that's non-negotiable. It's a formal event, after all. That means you'll need something fancy to wear."

Ryou was apparently too busy sputtering incoherently to actually notice the smile on Andrew's face. Hell, even Joshua was a little surprised to see him acting like this. All this time, Andrew had more or less prided himself on being the atypical 'Only Sane Man' of the group in terms of attitude; the only one to retain a straight face and attitude in spite of everything going on around him, certainly when he was compared to Ryou and Joshua himself.

' _Maybe he's just happy to see this jackass backpedaling for once. I know_ _ **I**_ _sure am._ '

Seriously, when was the last time they saw this smug and confident getting the short end of the stick? Not often enough, that's for sure.

"Nuh uh," Ryou asserted. "No way! There ain't no way in _HELL_ I'm putting on a damn _monkey suit_!"

oOoOoOoOo 2 Days Later oOoOoOoOo

"I'm gonna kill you guys one day. Really, I'm gonna sneak up on you when you're in bed and kill you both in your sleep."

Joshua barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This had to be the seventh time Ryou had said that same threat to him and Andrew, and it looked like he wasn't gonna let up an time soon. "And I've told you already to stop complaining. You wanted in, you needed a suit, end of discussion. No point in complaining."

"Maybe I'm just doing it to tick you off."

Joshua thought that over for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. You're kinda an asshole that way." He turned to his tall and snarky _maybe_ friend, flashing him an impish grin. "But at least you're a _dashing_ asshole."

It was _so_ satisfying to see Ryou's barely concealed frustration at those words. "Seriously. In your _fucking_ sleep."

And on that note, Joshua and the others silently continued their trek to their destination; a meeting point where Winter had arranged for a chauffeur and transportation to the celebration.

They had arrived in town yesterday, taking some time to check out the locale and more or less _dragging_ Ryou along to get him a good formal suit. Literally so, given that he actually tried grabbing onto a few street lamps and, once they reached the tailor, bracing himself against the doorframe. ' _It's just a good thing he was so ticklish._ '

So, after roughly a dozen threats on Joshua's and Andrew's lives, not to mentions promises of castration, they _finally_ got Ryou a good formal attire that actually fit. The tallest of them was currently garbed in a dark blue, single-breasted, slim fit suit with matching pants. It fit with Ryou's tall frame rather well, accentuating his height.

Andrew was attired in a white, double-breasted and pinstriped outfit. Unlike with Ryou, Andrew actually brought his from home, and it was obviously custom made for him, fitting o him like a glove over a hand. The ensemble was finished, of course, by a matching pair of pants.

Joshua, finally, was wearing a simple, single-breasted, pure black suit. Unlike Ryou, who bought an outfit her in the capital, or like Andrew's custom made version, Joshua's didn't fit him quite as well as he would've liked. Andrew had been kind enough to offer one of his own and Joshua had agreed. It was appropriately sized, but it didn't fit him quite as perfectly. Either way, it would last him through the night.

They had taken the day before to simply wander about and see the area, checking out shops, diners, bars, and any other spot that happened to catch their interest. Andrew in particular had found a rather nice bookstore and bought himself some new reading material. Ryou was more interested in the weapon shops and the various designs they had.

Joshua didn't really find much to perk his interest, unfortunately. Unlike the other two, he was actually a bit more concerned with the celebration they had been invited to. He hid his nervousness well enough, but that didn't really do much towards actually making it disappear. They _were_ going to an occasion that most of the Atlas elite were in attendance.

And he could remember from experience in-game that that those elites were particularly critical and vindictive. Maybe it was because they were a part of the Kingdom with the greatest military and technological power, but they seemed to have a higher opinion of themselves than even the upper-class of the other Kingdoms.

It's not that he was worried about their impressions of _himself_ , though. Or even their impressions of his two friends; he was pretty confident that Andrew wouldn't have any serious problems, although Ryou was almost certainly a lost cause and didn't even care. The tallest of their little group seemed to _relish_ in the negative attention of others, soaking it up like a sponge absorbs water.

Frankly, he was more concerned about how their actions might reflect on _Winter_. She was the one who invited the three of them, even going out of her way to do so. Probably even behind her father's back, if his own impression of her family was any indication. He didn't want to make her look bad after all her effort just by making a bad scene.

But, seemed it was just too late to turn back now. All that could be done was to take a deep breath and do his best to power on through.

Of course, his plan with Ryou was still on. They just had to make sure none of what they had planned could be traced back to them and be pinned on Winter in some way. It'd be a pretty lousy way of paying her back for this.

Turning a corner on the sidewalk, they approached the street Winter told them to go to and saw a man holding up a sign with their names on it, standing right beside the car that they'd apparently be riding for tonight. "Yo, waiting for _us_?"

The driver, a middle aged man in formal attire of his own, turned at the sound of his voice to look at him. Judging by the briefly unimpressed look, following a quick once over of him and his friends, the man didn't seem too impressed with the three of them. "Mr. Bridger and his two friends I assume?"

Joshua nodded in response. "Yes, that's us."

Still looking decidedly unimpressed, the man simply responded with a shrug and opened the back door to the car, gesturing them in. "Make yourselves comfortable, gentlemen."

Quickly entering through the opened door, Joshua couldn't help but find the driver's fake smile more than a little annoying. Ryou apparently felt much the same, if his muttered comment of "great, the driver's a snob, too" was any indication. At least he was able to hold back on saying it until they were in the car and the man closed the door.

Needless to say, there wasn't much conversation on the drive to the celebration. The driver obviously wasn't much of a talker, and even _Ryou_ didn't seem to be in the mood for a verbal exchange right now. It really said something about the big guy's mood when he _wasn't_ the one talking the most. Or rather, when he wasn't making enough snide remarks to make an expert _roast_ style comedian curl up in shame.

Fortunately, the relatively short distance and lack of traffic allowed them to reach their destination in a little less than half an hour. Good thing, too, because it looked like Ryou was about to blow a gasket just to break the silence and leap out. Though that could've just been because he was well aware that he would've been able to just _run_ to the place in a fraction of the time it'd taken to drive.

At least Joshua had the entertaining image of seeing the look on the drivers face when he opened the door and Ryou literally rushed out as quickly as the door opened. He actually stood in place for a moment just looking into the car in confusion, apparently wondering where the hall he'd disappeared to during the ride. It was almost enough for Joshua to wish he'd brought out his Scroll to take a picture.

Fortunately, _Ryou_ had no such polite compunction. Snapping at least three such shots in rapid succession before the man even knew what was going on. ' _Well, at least ONE of us has had some fun so far._ '

Exiting their transportation, Joshua laid his eyes on the building the great celebration would be taking part in.

The 'Grand Atlas Hall' was as impressive as ever. An extremely large building that was probably the size of at least three city blocks, constructed from dressed stone and immaculately carved all around. From what little he knew of its construction, it was composed of numerous wings that all held different functions. One of them was apparently a theatre, another a massive greenhouse full of rare and expensive flora, another one was a massive dining hall, and another was a just a large room for gatherings and dances. It went up to three floors in height and had a number of large balconies spread out on the highest floor, spaced apart _just_ enough to give each one some privacy.

He remembered hearing once that it was constructed roughly a century ago and had been constantly updated with new advances in technology, and the age _almost_ showed in a few places. In summary, some old rich guy decided to go along with the upper-class tradition of throwing around massive amounts of money for a glorified dick measuring contest by constructing a massive building solely for the rich and powerful to throw their snobby parties in while away from the rabble.

The guy probably enjoyed himself _immensely_ afterwards, basking in the envious glares of his peers for doing something before anyone else could.

' _Seriously, why can't they ever use that money for something USEFUL?_ '

Still, he couldn't deny that it was very impressive. Not to mention _exclusive_. Invitations to events held within were so rare that _none_ of his previous Avatars had even gotten in. It was actually a little exciting.

Of course, he was also pretty excited because of what he and his two buddies had actually planned for the party. He couldn't entirely hold back his grin. "Everyone ready?"

"Shade Jackson to Timeless Prick, Doc Psycho is on standby. Operation: Party Crasher is a go."

…."Do you _always_ need to answer in a way that makes me want to punch you in the face, Ryou?"

The bastard had the gall to look momentarily confused at that. "What? I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm pissing you off?"

Doing his best not to react to the tall mans goading, he started walking to the front entrance and the security guard holding a list of names. He'd apparently watched them since they'd gotten out of the car, his expression as unreadable as if it were carved from stone. "Names and invitations?"

Joshua had brought out his invitation before the man had even finished speaking. "Joshua Bridger. These two are Ryou Sawamura and Andrew Hamilton."

They pulled out their own invites to the party and the three of the handed them over to the man before he started scanning the list, nodding slightly as he found their names. "Alright. Have a nice night, gentlemen."

Joshua nodded politely in response and walked in as the man opened the door.

He then proceeded to do his damned best to keep his jaw from hitting the floor as he actually saw the interior.

Seriously, he thought the _outside_ was impressive? The interior put it to fucking shame _and_ made him grit his teeth at the pointless display all at once!

The floors were all times of polished marble, swirls of black and white intermingling in the stone like a contrast between day and night in the tiles that weren't covered up by –what looked to be- _incredibly_ expensive Vacuo style rugs with incredible embroidery and patterns. Massive pillars supported the ceiling up above, constructed of another, pure white marble with slight furrows in them travelling upward.

The walls were decorated by countless paintings, likely priceless. Not to mention the various light fixtures that seemed to be made of some combinations of silver and glass. The upper walls were decorated with what seemed to be various tapestries of various origins from across the Four Kingdoms, each of them recounting great legends or historical moments.

And above it all, hanging from the ceiling, was a number of great chandeliers. Each of them a marvel of craftsmanship, a combination of various rare metals and stained glass. And that's only assuming the man who ordered them hadn't actually gone the extra mile to have them _actually_ decorated with jewels as an extra financial _fuck you_ to everyone else.

…Aw, who was he kidding? The bastard probably _did_ do that.

He was stopped from further contemplation as a familiar and very _loathed_ pair of knuckles started digging into his scalp. "Alright, enough sightseeing. Let's get this show on the road, already!"

oOoOoOoOo Winter Schnee oOoOoOoOo

' _I swear, if ONE more person walks up to me with a fake smile and equally fake concern, I just might try to kill someone._ '

Honestly, people had been approaching her through the whole party to offer their most _sincere_ condolences for what her sister had gone through and tell her just how relieved they were to know her little sister had come back safely. Maybe she would find it better if they actually _cared_ , but hearing all those empty words just rubbed her the wrong way.

So, attempting to escape from it, Winter Schnee was now standing by one of the pillars in the massive room containing the celebration. More specifically, she was essentially standing behind it and using the construct as a buffer to hide her presence while she regained her bearings before heading back into the fray.

She wasn't sure why, but she'd honestly never been very good at this. At keeping up a façade of mock friendliness simply for appearances and taking it from others in turn. Literally _everyone_ else in her family actually happened to be much better at it than her. Even _Weiss_ , her little sister that was seven years her junior, happened to be better at it than her.

If she were being frank, this was yet another reason why she wanted to become a Huntress; it would give her a way to escape all the fake smiles and empty pleasantries. At least she wouldn't need to worry about smiling for the sake of appearances anymore.

"Well, I sure didn't expect to see you standing alone in a corner."

' _Wait, isn't that….?_ '

Turning to face the voice's source, Winter allowed herself the slightest indication of a smile. "Joshua, you made it."

"Of course," he commented, shrugging casually. "How could I _possibly_ turn down an offer like this? Not every day you get to see the rich and powerful up close in their natural habitat. It's like a safari, but with fancier clothes."

She opened her mouth for a rebuttal, stopping when his words really sank in. Taking a look around at the other occupants, she had to admit to there being a bit of a resemblance. It was like a room full of predators, prowling around in packs and getting ready to pounce on some poor fool for showing just the slightest sign of weakness. "I know I'm _supposed_ to disagree with you, but I'm finding it very difficult."

He shrugged again, as if brushing the mater off entirely. "I know, right?" he questioned, turning her way and giving her a brief observation. "You're looking great, by the way. You pull that dress off very well."

She nodded in appreciation and responded with a quick "thank you". It certainly wasn't the first time she'd heard it tonight, but at least this time she knew it was really sincere. Certainly better than the people who only say her family name.

And, not to be vain, but she was rather confident that she looked at her best tonight. With her white hair let down like a snowy curtain, every strand immaculately cared for to attend this very night. She also wore her best outfit. A long dress that ended near her ankles, a pure white to perfectly match the color of her hair, with a slight slit going slightly above her left knee. It was held in place with straps of cloth over her shoulders, and almost bare down to the small of her back.

It _was_ a party after all. It was only right for her to look her best.

Too bad the moment was ruined a few seconds after, when _another_ familiar voice spoke out.

"Yeah, wonderful reunion, warm and fuzzy feelings all around."

Winter rolled her eyes in exasperation, unknowingly mirroring Joshua's own response to the interjection. "I'm starting to wonder why I sent him an invitation."

"I was starting to wonder that, too. Really, who _would_ invite an asshole like him to a party?"

Winter suppressed the urge to smile, seeing Ryou actually start getting annoyed. "A masochist, perhaps? Or maybe someone could do it as a joke?"

"I'm standing right here."

Joshua nodded, playing along with her. "Yeah, I can see that. Or maybe as some elaborate torture or set-up for a prank of some kind." He turned to Ryou, the mans right eyebrow visibly twitching from annoyance. "After all, it's not like anyone would invite him for his personality. Pretty sure it wouldn't be for his _looks_ , either."

"Oh, ha ha ha, _very_ funny. Maybe you two should do a comedy routine. I'm sure I'd love watching you two screw it up in front of an audience."

Joshua and his friend got into yet another one of their squabbles, though they fortunately kept it quiet enough to avoid seriously drawing any attention. She took the opportunity to really take a look at the two of them.

Ryou, of course, apparently refused to do anything about his wild mane of black hair. She wasn't really surprised, the man actually seemed rather fond of keeping it free and unruly. Probably out of some desire to set himself physically further apart. Though at least he was wearing proper attire.

Joshua seemed largely the same from when she'd last seen him, though he certainly wore his new outfit rather well. She could see a few small signs that the suit wasn't tailored for him, an admittedly less than useful skill she'd picked up from so many parties, but it didn't seem to inconvenience him or hamper his movements.

But she couldn't help but think something was missing from this, that there was something off. She couldn't quite put her finger on it at first as she searched through her memory, but it quickly came to the fore after a brief examination of the two men. _Two_ being the key word. "Where is Andrew?"

The interruption seemed to distract them from their bickering, Ryou momentarily looking around to spot their wayward friend. "The hell? Where'd that jackass sneak off to?

Muttering something under his breath about annoying blonds, the brooding man walked off with a noticeably annoyed expression. Seems he wasn't exactly happy with being suddenly relegated to the position of glorified caretaker.

Chuckling slightly, Winter couldn't help but find it funny that the most apparently stable member of the group had been the one to wander off.

Joshua seemed to think the same thing, given the ironic smile on his face. "Never thought Andrew of all people would be one to wander off." He turned to her, the smile still on his face. "So, how's Weiss been doing? She okay?"

She smiled a little more openly at that. "Yes, she's doing much better. We've arranged for some counseling to see if she might need further therapy after everything, but she seems fine."

His face lit up with no small degree of relief at hearing that. Apparently, he'd been rather concerned. Touching.

"That's good to hear. Most people don't come out of that without a few scars. Especially not ones her age."

She nodded. "Indeed. She was certainly rather lucky." Her smile took on a mischievous edge. "She's also been rather eager to see _you_ again. She insisted that I offer invitations to you and your two friends for the occasion."

He went very _satisfyingly_ still at that. And the implications thereof. "Please tell me she doesn't have a crush on me. I mean, I'm sure she'll be beautiful when she grows up, but…a seven year difference doesn't look small until…like, what, your thirties?"

The edge in her smile didn't waver, even seeming to get stronger. " _Maybe_. She seemed more than a little eager to see you again. Maybe I could bring her over to see you?"

She did her level best to hold back a chuckle at the flush on Joshua's face. It felt _so_ good to get back at him after all the times he'd so easily gotten under her skin.

Unfortunately, any attempts to press the offensive were stopped when she felt a rather familiar sensation. She was being watched by someone. And she had a very good idea who.

Turning to see the greater area of the celebration hall, Winter quickly scanned the crowd to find the source of her discontent. It took her less of a second to spot the gentleman in question, dressed in pure white with a red handkerchief in the left breast pocket, his snow white hair combed neatly back. And a _very_ unhappy look on his face as he looked at her.

' _Father._ '

"Something wrong?"

The question briefly shook her from her focus on her father, turning to Joshua. "Sorry, I….." she struggled for words, trying to find the right way to explain. "I'm sorry, something's…come up. I need to go for a moment."

She turned away from him, turning to her father and walking forward.

She certainly wasn't looking forward to this talk, but she still knew better than to avoid it. Trying to dance around it would just make it that much worse when she couldn't subvert it anymore, and that would ruin her mood for the rest of the afternoon. She might as well get it out of the way early and go back to enjoying her night.

Still, that didn't mean she'd be enjoying this conversation. She was sure of it.

oOoOoOoOo Ryou Sawamura oOoOoOoOo

" _Seriously_ ," Ryou chided, more than a hint of his frustration boiling through. "Could you _not_ sneak away like that?"

It didn't take Ryou long to find his considerably shorter blond friend. The man wasn't too hard to spot in a crowd and Ryou's height made it easier to see him.

He wasn't entirely sure what he'd expected to find the taciturn doctor doing at a party like this. Maybe getting ready for the prank they'd been preparing, checking the positions of all the potential victims, or maybe out on a balcony to enjoy the scenery outside from the top floor. But he sure didn't expect to see him at the _bar_ on the other side of the room, downing alcohol like a fish.

He was also completely unrepentant about it, staring up at him without so much as a hint of shame as he sipped from his newest drink. His _seventh_ one. "They made Ramos Gin Fizz's," he held up the mention drink for a moment to show him. "I couldn't resist."

Ryou just stared down at him with his usual glower, though with a slight hint of betrayal. "And you didn't invite _me_?"

…What? He had his own priorities, too.

Then Andrew reached out to the bartender again, another drink being fitted right into his hand before he held it out. "I had him make you one when I arrived. But I never thought you'd complain this much."

Staring down at the offered drink, Ryou's glower slowly transformed into a smile. Truly a man after his own heart. "Thanks, buddy."

Gratitude given, he grabbed his drink and sat beside Andrew on another barstool, looking over everyone in the room. "So, you ready?"

The blond nodded. "Ready and waiting. I just thought we might as well have some drinks while we still could."

"I'll drink to that."

"You already are."

He laughed a little at that. Andrew might not be the kind for _overt_ humor, but the wordplay? Yeah, he was definitely good with that. When he _wanted_ to be, at least.

Taking a sip, he couldn't help but realize how lucky he was right now. Getting stuck in a new world, completely cut off from his old life, not knowing what was going on back home. There was definitely plenty to be worried about.

But if nothing else, at least he had a buddy with him to help take him mind off it. To show him that maybe it wasn't all bad.

…Or maybe this stuff was just some strong alcohol and he was getting a little loopy. Yeah, that had to be it. He was _never_ this sappy.

Shoving that thought aside, he just took a first sip from his drink and let out an appreciative hum. "Damn, this guy knows his stuff."

Andrew nodded beside him. "He really does. I'm thinking of asking for the recipe."

Ryou's eyebrow raised slightly at that. "If you get it, I'm expecting you to make some of this whenever I come over."

Andrew absently nodded at that, too lost in the wonderful buzz of alcohol, right before the words registered and he gave Ryou the stink eye. "But you're staying over at my place right _now_. For _free_."

Ryou just flashed his trademark, smug grin. "And this'll just make it a _paradise_."

It didn't take long before their logical and sophisticated debate devolved into a match of repeated "No" and "Yes", neither of them willing to budge on the matter. It was a long developed aspect of their relationship that had long since lost any real het or friction. Familiarity didn't _always_ breed contempt, after all.

That said, Ryou made sure to get on his nerves. He annoyed everyone _equally_ , friends or otherwise.

Andrew eventually caved in, releasing a great sigh of resignation. "I don't even know why I keep you around, sometimes."

"My charming good looks? Great sense of humor? Wonderful personality?"

"I'd go with option 4," the doctor responded. "None of the above."

The dark haired player feigned a hurtful flinch back. "Oh, that hurts, buddy. It really stings. I think I'm gonna cry." He sniffled and made an exaggerated motion of flicking a tear from his right eye with a finger of his right hand, lips quivering the whole time.

"Oh, quit it you…wait, look over there."

Raising an inquisitive eyebrow at the sudden change of topic, Ryou turned to look at where his blond friend had gestured. It took him a moment to actually work through most of the crowd, but then he immediately recognized what his friend had spotted.

A very familiar head of snow white hair.

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Releasing a sigh that was lost in the wind outside, Joshua couldn't help but wonder if Winter was actually in some kind of trouble. He doubted her father was all that happy with her decision to invite him and his friends to the party, given their status as definite outsiders to the upper-class world in general. He wouldn't be surprised if Winter's decision to give them those invitations hadn't exactly been done with her dear daddy's permission. Even if Weiss had asked her.

Still, they'd came. There was nothing to really do about it now besides trust her to handle it.

And maybe see if the prank they had in mind would include her father. He had a feeling that she'd very much appreciate the chance of him getting caught up in it. Though keeping Weiss out of it was a necessity, he was pretty sure Winter would be _very_ unhappy if anything happened to her little sister.

He'd at least had some time to think it over. After Winter left, he'd headed to one of the balcony entrances and headed outside into the night air.

He had to admit, it was a great view. The stars up in the night sky standing out against the endless blackness, pinpricks of light that refused to go out, helping to illuminate the sky above.

Above all, the moon was full and bright, shining down with all its light to illuminate the world below. He could see it reflecting off almost every shining surface available to his sight; whether metal, glass, or water on the street, the moonlight seemed to make every reflective surface a beacon that stood out in the night.

He would've brought out his Scroll to take a quick picture, but the sound of stomping feet behind him, not to mention the angry muttering in a familiar voice, told him he'd soon have some company.

"Hey, Winter. How'd it go?"

She didn't bother answering him at first, just choosing to stomp angrily outside to the edge of the balcony and lean forward over the stone balustrade. ' _Yeah, it definitely didn't go too well._ '

He wisely decided to let her keep her silence for a while. Joshua wouldn't exactly say he had much experience with women in general, but there was one thing he _did_ get. To just shut your mouth for a while and let them choose when to have a conversation when they got angry about something. Let them start it on their _own_ terms after they've calmed down in the silence.

So he just stood there. He didn't talk, didn't make any overt movements or anything else. He just let her know he was there for when she was ready to talk.

And after a good three minutes, it paid off.

"Poorly," she muttered, finally choosing to give an answer to his question. "It most _certainly_ went poorly."

"Really? And here I thought you came stomping out here, muttering under your breath because it went great."

….

An eerie silence descended upon them, stifling and more than a little uncomfortable. Undisturbed besides the quiet emanations of sound from within the building, as Winter kept stock still.

And then her head began to turn towards him, ever so slightly. _Just_ enough for him to see the barest edge of her face and left eye. With an expression that was _scarily_ blank and neutral.

And all he could do was stand still with a smile that couldn't be further out of place or less suited to his worry right now. Even as he could practically feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat.

' _Why smart mouth, why? How could you betray me in my hour most dark!?_ '

He was already composing a mental rough-draft of his last will and testament (leaving almost everything to Andrew, of course. Ryou would get nothing and _suck_ on it) before the very _last_ thing that he would have expected to happen, happened.

Winter actually laughed.

Well, not really a full laugh. It actually came out as more of a rather undignified hiccupping sound, but her sudden turning away from him, combined with her slight shaking and the hand she was holding over her mouth, made it pretty hard to mistake it for anything else.

She did a pretty good job of quickly tamping it down, but there was a definite lightness to her expression as she turned back that wasn't there before. It was only helped by the beginnings of a smile at the corners of her lips. "Is _nothing_ off limits to you?"

Now realizing that she wasn't contemplating cold-blooded murder here on the balcony, his own smile had become much less strained as he gave his reprisal. "Dunno. I'll have to tell you when I find something."

She answered him with a nod. "I'll hold you to that."

And just like that, the silence between them wasn't so stifling anymore, instead becoming a comfortable and friendly atmosphere.

' _But just to be safe._ '

Using the **Fast** portion of **Fast-Skip** , he darted into the celebration inside and sought out one of the wandering servers carrying trays around. Picking one who was doling out tall glasses of red wine, he grabbed two glasses without the man even realizing it and headed back out to Winter on the balcony.

"Drink?" he asked, extending a glass to her.

The look on her face was actually a little entertaining. That expression of slight bewilderment from what she perceived regarding what he just did. It must've looked like he'd disappeared before reappearing before her very eyes with two glasses of wine.

Of course, that was part of his reason for doing it like that at all.

' _If only I could use my Scroll right now to take a picture._ '

Still, Winter recovered quickly and took the offered glass of wine from him. "Thank you," she said, raising the rim to her lips with a slow and relaxed motion, her fingers holding it in a gentle grip. "Any particular reason for the wine?" she asked, taking her first sip.

He gave a dismissive shrug. "Eh, the standard reasons. Politeness, being friendly, trying to ease the tension after you talk with your dear daddy."

Her expression almost immediately turned into a grimace at the mention of her father, as if the wine she'd just sampled had soured in her own mouth. "Right. You _really_ needed to mention him, didn't you?"

"Color me curious?" he offered, his free hand nervously placed on the back of his neck.

She sighed, eyeing him up and down. Measuring him. He wasn't too surprised, considering Winter wasn't really the chatty type. Besides, family business was family business. It really wasn't his place to ask something personal like that.

Then again, considering that her argument with the man could very well be related to him, maybe it was his place to ask after all. And who knew? Maybe having her talk about it a little would help. Or at least let her blow off some steam. He owed her _that_ much at least, if he was really responsible.

After a moments inspection of him, Winter closed her eyes and released a gentle sigh of resignation. "You're not gonna let it go?"

He smiled at her. "Nope."

She rolled her eyes at his response. "At least you're being honest about it," the young woman responded, turning around to rest back of her elbows on the balustrade, one hand along the stone edge and the other still holding her wineglass. She peered into it rather intently for a moment, as if she could somehow find the answers to all of the great questions of life in that sample of alcohol.

' _Maybe that's one of the reasons people like getting drunk so much._ '

After spending some time contemplating the mysteries of the red wine in front of her face, she took a deep breath, then threw her head back and drank it all down in one go. Liquid courage gone, she brought her head forward again with a sigh as the wine traveled down her throat. Likely with a prominent burning sensation.

"I think you already know what it was he wanted to talk about."

Joshua nodded in response, leaning back on the balustrade himself. "I figured as much" he admitted. Really, it wasn't hard to put two and two together for this. Her dad was definitely more than a bit of a classist. Probably also something of an elitist, from the look of things. "I'm guessing he doesn't want anyone in his family to be associated with a _commoner_ like me? That seems like a standard reason for guys like him."

"That's part of the reason," she admitted, surprisingly lucid in spite of the wine she just drank in one go. Maybe she'd worked up a good tolerance from all the parties? "But it's also because he doesn't want anybody knowing we didn't get Weiss back on our own."

Joshua froze for a moment after that, blinked. "What? Why?"

"Image," she answered, her face shifting into a slightly angry expression. "He doesn't want anyone knowing that his daughter, _my_ little sister, was saved by outside interference instead of us doing it on our own. He say it makes us look weaker for not being able to stop it ourselves." She sighed. "In other words, it's because of pride and reputation."

Joshua grimaced slightly at that. "Really? _That's_ the reason why? And here I thought he'd actually be grateful. Guess I was wrong."

Winter shook her head at that. "No, he's grateful. _Quite_ grateful, in his own way. He just….has difficulty actually _showing_ it properly." She shrugged again, as if dismissing the whole thing. "I find it rather ridiculous, but I don't really take after my father as much as I think he'd actually like. He's made that rather clear."

Silence descended upon them once again, and once more it was the less than comfortable kind. Maybe it would've been better to keep his mouth shut instead of bringing it up at all. Maybe he should just leave the silence be.

….Nah. Fuck that shit.

"Well, since you and dear daddy aren't exactly getting along right now, might I suggest a way to get him back for ruining your good mood?"

She didn't answer immediately, just staring off into space for some time. Joshua actually started to wonder if she had even listened to him at all, until-

"What exactly do you have in mind," she suddenly inquired, turning to face him. Her expression was surprisingly blank, considering what he'd just asked her. He thought she'd be more resistant to the idea than…well, so open at _all_. Looks like her father pissed her off more that he'd thought.

Taking a sip of the wine in his own glass, he took a moment to compose what exactly he'd say next. He might need to be very selective with his choice of words, or she might be completely turned against the idea. "It's nothing harmful, I can assure you."

That much was true. Even besides the fact that Winter and Weiss were here, Joshua wasn't really spiteful enough to actually _hurt_ anyone with a prank. Maybe if they _really_ pissed him off, but that wasn't really a factor tonight. "It's just a little something me and the guys thought up to spice the party up a little bit."

"And Weiss?" the young woman asked, more than a hint of sisterly instinct getting through. "Don't forget that _she_ was the one to request your presence for this occasion. It would be very… _unbecoming_ of you to catch her in this little prank at all."

' _Message received. But unnecessary._ '

He shook his head. "You don't need to worry about that. You and Weiss were the only real exceptions tonight. Everybody _else_ , though? Free game. And I promise it won't actually be harmful to them." He smiled, turning to face her with, what he assumed, was a glint of mischief in his eyes. "But it _will_ be very… _distressing_."

She held his gaze for a moment, scrutinizing his expression for any hint of deception. It almost felt like a physical instrument, scanning over his face. Kinda intense, really.

She eventually relented, turning away from him to look into the building. More specifically, to look at the people _inside_. "And my father, he'll be caught up in it?"

"Definitely."

And ever so slowly, a predatory smile formed on her face. "Good."

…Okay. That actually went much easier than he'd thought it would. Not that the ease was unappreciated, but it was still rather surprising. "That's it?"

"That's it," she answered, her smile slowly shifting into something a little less predatory. Almost sad, even. "It wasn't always like this, you know. I can still, although vaguely, remember when he wasn't quite so controlling, when we were happier. But it looks like those days are long gone now."

She turned away from him at that, as if hiding the expression on her face would make it easier to say. "There are some times I wish we could just go back to them, but then I realize how silly that sounds. You can't turn back time."

' _Not entirely true,_ ' he mentally countered. ' _I just can't turn it back that far._ '

But saying that wasn't exactly on the forefront of his mind right now. Winter was obviously very serious about this, he'd need to be a vegetable _not_ to see that. Yeah, his mouth tended to run off ahead of his brain, but he was pretty sure he'd never done it _intentionally_.

But that didn't mean he wanted to see her like…..well, like _this_. So melancholic.

Granted, she'd never really struck him as the cheerful or outgoing sort. But there few times with one another had made her general attitude quite clear. Always confident and sure of herself, never letting anything get to her. Yeah, there were times when she got angry and showed her temper, or even times when her worry seeped through. But she'd never really been this….. _open_ about it before.

Besides, it's not like he couldn't relate. "I know what you mean."

His words seemed to register, because her head slowly turned back. She didn't say anything, didn't ask any questions. Just a look.

It was enough.

"It happened….jeez, I don't know. Maybe when I was 8? I think that's right."

He shook his head a little, as if trying to drudge up old memories. But it just so happened that these memories were ones he wasn't exactly happy to remember.

"I wasn't exactly born in a safe or stable place. Hell, the place was a big mess. Crime almost everywhere and law enforcement were rarely any help. They were either on the take or somehow ended up dead or transferred somewhere else. People learned to live with that, learned to _deal_. But more than anything, we learned to _expect_ certain things to happen."

He leaned back, his spine bending as he turned up to see the night sky, taking in a deep breath before letting it out. "You got your sister _back_ , but…well, not everybody has that kinda luck when someone they care about disappears."

He heard, rather that actually saw, the sharp intake of breath. It was very slight, likely a result of her self-control. But it was a reaction, and that could say a _lot_ when it came from someone like her.

Winter opened her mouth to respond, hesitated, and then closed her mouth again. She seemed to be trying to find the right words to say.

Kinda funny how words themselves could actually make communication more difficult. They were supposed to be a way for people to express things in ways they could both understand, a way to verbally express and connect. But then you tried to find the _right_ words and ended up falling short all too often.

After a moment of silence, Winter's expression firmed and she turned back to him, opening her mouth to speak-

"Shade Jackson to Timeless Prick! Prepare for imminent arrival of overwhelming awesome!"

-When _somebody_ decided to interject and completely ruin the mood between them. "Ryou, _how_ is it that you always pick the _worst_ time to interrupt something?"

The _infuriating_ man just answered him with a dismissive shrug. "It's a gift."

Joshua was about to counter with something distinctly unflattering, but he was distracted by the sight of Andrew entering the balcony. With a very familiar face. "Weiss?"

She stirred slightly at his voice, turning to see him as her eyes widened slightly. "Joshua?"

The little girl was being led along by the blond doctor on his right side, hand in hand. She was dressed up in a small, but beautiful dress that perfectly suited her size. Her hair was styled as a long ponytail that, from the looks of it, fell down to the small of her back.

Seriously, he'd bet money that in seven or ten more years and she'd be Winter's mirror image.

He didn't get much more time to think on it, though. The moment she confirmed it was him, Weiss immediately broke away from Andrew and rushed forward to him with a beaming smile on her face.

She stopped only two feet away from him, practically skidding as her momentum can to an end and she dipped into a quick curtsy. "Joshua! It's so good to see you again!"

He couldn't help the smile working its way onto his face, so affected by her open cheer that it would've been impossible _not_ to smile. "Likewise, Snowflake. How's the star of the party doing?"

oOoOoOoOo Winter Schnee oOoOoOoOo

' _I haven't seen her smile this much for years._ '

Really, it was a little hard to remember that last time she'd seen her little sister so energetic before. Granted, Winter hadn't exactly had as much time to spend with her as she'd used to, but she still made sure to check on her whenever she could. It gave her a good number of opportunities to notice her gradual change in decorum and mood.

If she had to guess, it had started around the time that Winter had made her intention of becoming a Huntress clear. She still remembered the argument she'd had with her father over that particular topic; shouts exchanged, a brief threat of disownment, some shattered vases, raised voices. The works, as some would've put it.

One unfortunate thing about Hunters of _any_ of the Four Kingdoms was that their line of work meant that they all but officially abandoned any form of responsibility beyond their line of work. If it didn't involve either Grimm or select forms of law enforcement, Hunters had no stake in it. Unfortunately, this also meant that they generally cast away any inheritance of influence. Such as, for example, the rights to gain ownership of a multi-billion Lien company.

It wasn't _entirely_ a hard rule, there were occasional exceptions. But those exceptions were generally only due to extreme circumstances or deft political maneuvering.

As one can imagine, daddy was _not_ happy with her for the decision she'd made.

For a moment, she was actually a little worried that their father really would've gone off and disowned her for her defiance, but it seems he had decided against it.

Unfortunately, since Winter _herself_ was no longer available to be the next heir to the SDC, that meant all the pressure and expectations had been shoved onto Weiss instead.

That was less than a year ago, and the times she was able to speak with her had proven that Weiss was definitely starting to change. She didn't have the same cheer as she used to, the same inherent liveliness that children her age were _supposed_ to have, she didn't play childish games anymore, she rarely even smiled as often as she used to. It almost physically hurt to see her little sister change so much. Because of _her_ decision, no less.

Winter honestly wasn't sure who to be angrier with. Her father for putting the burden on Weiss' shoulders, or herself for making it his only option.

But at least, here and now, she could finally see little Weiss smiling like she used to. Talking happily back and forth with the person who'd helped save her life.

"Awwwwwwww," sighed out an irritating voice that she was _dearly_ beginning to despise. "Ain't that just sweet. Warm and fuzzy feelings all around."

Winter turned to the source of the voice with her harshest glare. "You are the most _intolerable_ , _insufferable_ , and _arrogant_ , excuse for a human being I've ever met, Mr. Sawamura."

' _Oh, how I'm starting to LOATHE that smile._ ' "Awwww, thanks, _Frosty_. It's so flattering to know you go out of your way to describe me with such fancy words."

Winter almost snapped at the man before Andrew got between them, arms held out like some referee getting between two fighters in a boxing match. The look on his face made it clear this wasn't the first time he'd done such a thing. "Enough, Ryou. Please don't antagonize the nice young lady who went out of her way to invite us to the occasion."

The taller of the two actually seemed rather disappointed that anything further than some light verbal jabs had actually been averted. Honestly, did this man just try and stir up trouble as a hobby? It really wouldn't surprise her, given all of her previous interactions with him.

But instead of pushing to make a bigger scene, Ryou just huffed and walked off to a corner of the balcony that met the wall and leaned back against it. It didn't stop his perpetual glower, but at least it looked like he wasn't going to give any more trouble.

As her attention finally shifted back to Joshua and her little sister, she was mildly disappointed to note that Ryou's interruption apparently hadn't gone unheard. Certainly not if Joshua's slight look of disapproval towards him was any indication. Though Weiss seemed a little unaware of the reasons, given her confused glances back and forth between the two. "Is something wrong?"

Joshua took a breath and seemed as if he was about to answer, but then he just released the breath he'd taken as a sigh and shook his head. "Nah, nothing wrong. Ryou is just being a pri- being a jerk. That's all. Nothing unusual." He studiously kept his attention on Weiss and pointedly ignored the glowering giant leaning against the wall. "It's something I've learned to deal with. Whenever it happens, I just tune him out and think of mentally pleasing images. Like punching him in the face."

"I can _hear_ you."

Joshua's smile showed he'd heard that, but otherwise ignored him. "I'm doing it right now, in point of fact. Works like a charm."

Weiss seemed to actually get the joke, breaking out in humorous giggles. Winter was momentarily worried about how Ryou would respond to getting laughed at by a child, but those fears were dismissed once she turned to see him. He seemed less insulted at being the butt of a joke and more crestfallen that a little girl like Weiss was apparently unafraid enough of him to laugh. If only she had a Scroll to catch a picture of the look on his face.

It was at that moment when Andrew gave a quick clap of his hands to get everyone's attention, though he actually seemed to feel a little guilty for interrupting the more or less happy interactions. It certainly set him apart from Ryou, that much was certain.

"Terribly sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid the three of us have a certain _schedule_ to keep to? I'm sure I don't need to remind everyone that we need perfect timing to get everything right."

Joshua and Ryou seemed to get the message, because they both immediately checked their Scrolls to get the time. They actually seemed a little startled when they saw what time it was. Did it have something to do with what Joshua had told her earlier?

"Damn," Joshua muttered. He actually seemed a little disappointed for some reason. Did he want to set it back?

Ryou cleared his throat. "So, uh…maybe we should discuss this somewhere _else_?" He tilted his hear towards her and Weiss, still looking at Joshua. "Seriously, do we need to use that little Skill of yours?"

Joshua got the point and shook his head. "Nah, that's not really necessary. She already knows."

"Ah," Ryou hummed knowingly. "Couldn't keep it a secret after all, could ya?" He turned to look at her, his face holding a curious expression. "So, she ain't gonna try and stop us?"

"Not as long as she and Weiss aren't caught up in it, no."

Ryou shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. Long as we're still in business."

And as the two traded words, Weiss seemed more confused than ever. She obviously knew something was going on, but it seemed she couldn't quite keep up with them. Eventually, she just got frustrated as they talked and gave up on listening, instead turning to her sister. "Winter, what's going on?"

She managed to keep the smile off of her face as she answered. "They're going to pull a little prank on the other guests here. It's why he wanted you and me separated from the rest of them."

Weiss opened her mouth in a comprehending "Oh", nodding at the new information. Joshua chose to speak and give his own two lien, grinning all the while. "What can I say? I've got a soft spot for people who generously invite me to their wonderful parties."

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Riiiiiight. _That's_ the reason why." He then suddenly had a light coughing fit and covered his mouth with the inside of his elbow. With a cough that sounded suspiciously like "shipping". What was that supposed to mean?

Joshua seemed to overhear it, because he responded with another roll of his eyes. "Whatever, back to business. Is everything ready?"

Andrew answered first, beating Ryou's response by barely a second. "Yes. I took care of my end once I separated from the two of you."

Ryou seemed a little surprised at that, but then turned to Andrew and flash him a glare. "What? I thought you headed straight for the bar."

The blonde then developed a rare expression of mischief, smiling coyly at his accuser. "Yes, funny thing about that. I lied."

Muttering "son of a bitch" under his breath, Ryou shook his head momentarily before moving on. "Anyway, I'm all ready and waiting to go. Hell, I've probably got the easiest part of it."

Nodding, Joshua walked up to Weiss and held out a hand. "Weiss, if you would."

Looking at his offered hand, her little sister had a moment of confusion before complying and putting her hand into his own. With a gentle hold, he led her over to Winter and made sure they were both as far from the balcony entrance as possible.

He turned to Andrew and Ryou, nodded. "Do it."

Andrew pulled something out of…..somewhere she couldn't really see. It seemed to be a switch of some kind. Thumbing the button as if he were savoring the moment, he held up his thumb before pressing it down.

After which, every light in the Great Hall immediately went out.

Ryou just smiled, apparently seeing it as his cue, and literally just…..disappeared before their very eyes. Winter actually blinked in surprise at that, not entirely sure of what she just saw. "What just happened?"

The young man holding her hand just smiled at her. "Ryou can move _very_ fast." As if that really explained everything.

She wasn't really able to further question him on that, because there was suddenly a commotion in the Great Hall between all the guests. Not exactly a panic, but there was definitely an undertone of shock. Not to mention a little worry. They were probably concerned that this was an attack of some kind.

Further thought on the matter was stopped when Ryou reappeared beside Joshua, a hand on his shoulder. He also had a smug and _massive_ smile on his face. "It's done. And I gotta say, Pickpocket is a _wonderful_ Skill."

Winter frowned at that odd choice of words. Pickpocket? What was that supposed to mean, some kind of code. She almost asked Joshua to explain but, deciding it was probably better not to know, she just shook her head and dismissed the thought from her mind.

With a smug smile of his own, Joshua did the same as Andrew and seemed to pull several objects out of thin air. Each of them looking like strange grenades or canisters of multiple garish colors. Walking up to the threshold that separated the balcony and the room of celebration within, he took a pitchers stance and _threw_ them all in, careful to make sure they all hit the ceiling.

Every impact appeared to burst in a combination of lights, _something_ sprinkling down onto the people below, like a great falling cloud of rainbow hues. Winter couldn't make anything definite out in the darkness after the shocks of brightness, certainly not very well, but she could swear that she saw colors….. _settling_ in the background and seeming to move.

She also saw now why Joshua had brought Weiss farther back, as a good portion of the cloud almost drifted out onto the balcony itself. Seems this was what he wanted Weiss and herself away from.

He walked back, easily avoiding what she now saw was a thin cloud of dust. Not the fuel and power source, actual powder of countless colors. Avoiding getting any of it on his clothes, he easily rejoined Winter and her little sister on the edge of the balcony.

"Andrew," he called out. "Turn the lights back on."

The doctor did so, flicking the switch on the device in his hand and setting the world alight again, revealing _exactly_ what had transpired.

The entire inner room of the celebration was a _mess_. All of it colored in countless shades of every color imaginable. A thick powder had settled over everything, the food, the furniture, and _especially_ the people. Winter paid very close attention to the last of those, because her focus caught onto something else.

They were all, somehow, stripped down to their underwear.

She had no idea how Ryou could've done it (and it just _had_ to have been Ryou), she wasn't even sure how it was _possible_ , but the man had somehow managed to strip them all down without them even noticing while the room was pitch black.

And just as the though passed through her mind, everyone in the room finally realized what had happened. Or at least what they were all currently missing.

The only word to describe what happened next was _pandemonium_. Complete and utter chaos. Screams and shouts of embarrassment and humiliation, more than a few accusations being thrown back and forth, people running around and trying (and failing) to cover themselves up and hide their proverbial shame. Pushing and shoving and nudging one another every which way, it was like countless waves crashing around and into each other, keeping anything from escaping. All of it happening while the people looked like some bizarre work of abstract color art come to life, moving and shifting by some mad painters design.

Winter had never laughed so hard in her whole life.

She was mildly relieved to know that nobody around her was in any way capable of hearing it. Joshua and his friends were too busy laughing on their own, Andrew being the most reserved while Ryou was literally on the ground and holding his ribs. Even Weiss was laughing at the scene before her, pointing at the people and chaos within.

And Joshua? Joshua was busy recording everything, using his Scroll to catch every moment. She had no doubt he'd use it to also get some prime pictures when he started editing it.

Then something caught his attention, causing him to hold his Scroll in place as he focused on something in particular. Apparently it was something notable, because his face slowly split into a sinister smile.

Winter would've asked him what it was, but she'd need to do it later. She could barely even speak right now, much less ask him.

So she did the only thing she could at the moment. She just kept laughing.

oOoOoOoOo

Joshua gave her and Weiss a light bow, looking for all the world like the perfect gentleman that he _certainly_ wasn't. "Thanks again for inviting us to the party. It's a real shame what happened, though."

Winter nodded imperiously, treating the matter with a gravity she certainly wasn't feeling. "Indeed. Whomever is responsible for the incident tonight shall need to be hunted down and punished most severely."

And she was sure that the _someone_ responsible would be harshly punished. If he or she was ever found _and_ revealed to the public.

After the initial chaos, her father had somehow managed to take control and begin the process of salvaging the situation. He'd found a means to secure transportation for everyone out of the Grand Atlas Hall and into various rooms for the most expensive hotels in the Capital of Atlas, even arranging new clothes for everyone.

It was a little daunting to realize just how much power her father really had in Atlas.

That said, to avoid such an embarrassing scandal being released to the public, he'd also made it clear that not a single person would reveal what had happened tonight unless they wished to rouse his ire. That meant no revealing what had occurred, and that there would be no investigation. The guests were quite angry, but they went along with it. After all, her father was a man _nobody_ desired to cross.

Which made it all the more entertaining when he noticed them all out on the balcony, _particularly_ paying attention to their lack of new coloring, and put two and two together.

She honestly thought for a moment that her father would have Joshua and his friends arrested, but the young man just waved his Scroll at him with a knowing look and her father froze on the spot.

Seems he considered his pride and reputation more important than the satisfaction of seeing the perpetrator imprisoned, because he let them leave without a fuss.

So here they were, standing on the curb of the street outside while the limousine that had driven Joshua and his friends her tonight came by to pick them up again and spirit them back to their hotel for the night.

"I'm sure he _will_ be punished severely," Joshua agreed, carefully keeping a straight face. "After all, what could it say about your father if he lets such a _rapscallion_ get away with it?"

Winter managed to keep her composure, but Weiss still broke out into giggles. The elder sister couldn't quite keep the ghost of a smile off of her face at that. It seemed this night had done wonders for her mood.

' _All because of this trouble maker right in front of me._ '

A horn sounded, the rushing noise of a car incoming as the limousine came up. Ryou entered immediately without a word, unsurprisingly, but Andrew gave her a polite nod and a "thank you for the lovely evening" before taking his own seat.

Joshua, however, didn't immediately enter, instead taking his Scroll out. "Before I forget to ask, what's your Scroll ID Tag?"

Blinking briefly at the sudden question, Winter took a moment to answer. "IceBlossom1. Why do you ask?"

He just smiled, typing something into his Scroll and saying "check this out".

Getting a notification on her Scroll, Winter pulled it out and saw her newest message with a new internet address. Joshua's, apparently. Opening the message she saw…oh. "Is that….?"

"Yes," he answered, smiling. "Yes it is."

It was a recording. A recording of her own father in the chaos immediately after the lights came back on and he realized what was happening. The look on his face as he realized the proud occasion he had planned was _ruined_ beyond all repair.

Priceless.

"Consider it a little gift to commemorate everything that's happened tonight."

With the knowledge that his gift was received, Joshua turned to the limo and entered to take his own seat. Rolling down the window, he gave her a final wave goodbye for the night. "Goodbye and thank you for the invitations to the wonderful party."

His final words said, the limo drove off to its destination. Like a glorified get-away vehicle from the scene of a crime.

' _What a troublemaker._ '

Interestingly enough, the thought wasn't a spiteful one.

She was pulled from her musings by a tug on her sleeve, her little sister looking up at her with a slightly imploring look. "Winter, we'll see them again, won't we?"

The elder sister didn't even think for a second before nodding to her. "Yes," she answered, smiling. "We will."

She looked up from Weiss, seeing the limousine that carried the three subjects of their conversation away. Watching it even as it took a corner and disappeared from sight. "I'm sure of it."

 **xXx**

WHEW! I swear, these chapters just keep getting longer. Fortunately, I've managed to work out a rough writing schedule of trying to write down 500-1000 words per day, so that means good news for future updates.

As for this chapter, I tried my best to keep Winter in character while still making it clear that she was actually opening up to Joshua a little. The trick is that it really NEEDS to be only a little. Yes, she's very grateful towards him for saving Weiss' life, but people don't exactly open up too much right away. I actually caught something while I was writing earlier when I wrote her essentially flirting a little with him, but then I realized that wouldn't really be in character for her. At least not YET, but maybe once she's gotten more comfortable with him and when they're alone.

As for Joshua's conversation with her on the balcony, you'll get more information on that in the next chapter. In fact, you'll get more on the backstories for all three of the Players. Look forward to that, but also prepare yourselves, because things will get DARK. No seriously, the two chapters after the next one will be SERIOUSLY dark.

Which brings me to the next three chapters in general. Once this fic comes around next, I plan on doing the next three chapters and releasing them all at once, which means it'll take more time than usual to do. This is because the next three are essentially the ending chapters for this arc, and have more impact when released roughly together. Brace yourselves, folks.

Now, onto the other fic information. I'm planning to get maybe two chapters out for A Scorpion's Successor next, give how little attention I've been giving it. Check it out if you'd like to give a Naruto fic a try, but I must warn you that it's a much more serious Naruto fic in general than quite a few others. Afterwards, I plan on doing the next chapter of Infinite Variant, my Fate/Stay Night Self-Insert.

In addition, I'm thinking of releasing another RWBY fic in the future. A fic with an OC-Protagonist who also SLOWLY gets into a relationship with Glynda "Hot Teacher" Goodwitch. I've wanted to write a Glynda ship for a while actually, and I'm pretty sure anyone who's seen her on the show knows why.

Anyways, please feel free to point out any typos or grammar problems so I can fix them. Otherwise, just tell me if you think there's anything I can improve on for later chapters.

Well, that's it for now folks. Review and have a nice night!


	14. All Things Change, For Better Or Worse

Chapter 14

 **All Things Change, For Better Or Worse**

xXx

 **Hey, folks. Yes, this is an Authors Note at the top instead of the bottom. Now, I know this might seem a bit abrupt, but it's because there might be something you'd probably have missed. I actually made a single fic chapter for World of Remnant: Online for Christmas, and I would suggest you go to my profile and read that first. I originally meant for it to be a non-canon omake, but the more I wrote on it the more I realized it would actually fit into canon rather easily. There are also a few things from that chapter that'll be shown here, so I suggest reading it so those parts actually don't seem tacked on.**

oOoOoOoOo Joshua Bridger oOoOoOoOo

Joshua did his best to hold back a yelp as Ryou's Bullhead shuddered slightly at a sudden blast of turbulence. The winds were really picking up this time of year, cold ones that made him very grateful for the heating inside of the Doppelgänger. "Will you ease up on the flying? I swear I'll bust your head open if we end up crashing out here."

"Will you just relax, ya pansy?" their ever disrespectful pilot snapped right back. "I've been flying these winds for years and the Doppelgänger can easily take it. She'll get us there just fine."

Joshua heard a brief rustling from the seat opposite of him, signaling that Andrew had probably flipped the page of his newspaper. "Where are you even taking us? You just said for us to follow you and we'd see something awesome." Another rustling sound. "We're missing the meteor shower for this, you know."

That was actually a bit of a sore point for Andrew right now. He'd been getting so stoked over the meteor shower that was happening tonight, making plans and everything. Then Ryou showed up and all but dragged them off for some adventure. "For a moment I thought it was a prank and you were just going to moon us in an alley or something."

Joshua couldn't hold back a snicker at that. It then became all out laughter when Ryou responded with "How would that be a prank? I'll have you know my ass is just as awesome as the rest of me."

Silence returned between them for a while after that, no sounds but the winds buffeting the Doppelgänger, the light roar of the engine, and the thrumming of the thrusters outside. A peaceful quiet, companionable even.

So, obviously, Ryou quickly got bored with it and decided to turn on the radio. "It's getting too quiet in here. Let's see what's on the news."

"Really?" Andrew retorted, lowering his newspaper slightly to stare at the pilot's back. "I have a newspaper right here, you could just ask."

Somehow Joshua just _knew_ Ryou rolled his eyes at that. "Right, newspapers. Sorry, ol' timer, but some of us prefer the new ways instead of stuff that was around when dinosaurs walked the earth."

Andrew answered that with a mild glare. "First off, that saying doesn't even have a place here. Were on _Remnant_ and I doubt dinosaurs ever even existed here. And second, some of us actually prefer holding the information in our hands, thank you very much."

Joshua just rolled his eyes at the back and forth between the two of them. It was actually pretty fun to watch if you managed to keep on the sidelines. Though it made it kind of hard to hear what they were saying on the…hold on, was that….?

"Hey," he spoke out, suddenly getting their attention. "Ryou, turn the radio back a bit."

Surprisingly choosing not to say something snippy, the tall pilot just did as asked and brought the radio dial back until Joshua asked him to stop. It was a news report in Silberlicht, one with the announcer detailing a series of strange incidents on Christmas.

"…..victims of the strange series of attacks were identified as criminals with offenses that ranged from assault to drug possession, the illegal sale of narcotics, theft, mugging, and armed assault. All were found wounded and heavily concussed, apparently inflicted by the same means and attacker. When pressed for the identity of the assailant, the conscious victims of the attacks all responded with 'it was ******* Santa Claus!' These claims did not waver even under further interrogation, with one in particular saying that he had, quote, 'coal shoved up my stocking,' followed by pulling his pants down, squatting, and proceeding to push out a lump of coal from his-"

Ryou just flicked the radio off at that point, flying in silence as the two passengers gaped at him with a combination of shock and horror.

"What are you two looking at?"

oOoOoOoOo

' _Wherever we're going, it had better be worth it._ '

A short while after the revelation of Ryou's… _unconventional_ manner of making a point, he set the Doppelgänger down in an open area and said they'd be walking the rest of the way.

Hat he'd failed to inform them of was just how fucking _cold_ it would actually be. It was the tail end of Winter right now and the wind was blowing hard, chilling right down to the bone. Not to mention all the Grimm that were this far out.

Holding out his right hand, Joshua's gauntlet transformed into its bow form, a pair of extensions similar to long and slender serrated blades came out, a line of light tracing from one end of the bow to the other. Bringing his left hand to pluck at the string, he pulled back even as an arrow of Wind Dust immediately formed.

Taking aim at the head of a particularly large Ursa over ten yards out, he let the arrow fly and saw the Grimm's upper body vanish as the arrow impacted. But it still didn't stop, travelling further and clean through several more Grimm before its shell of Aura collapsed and it exploded in a burst of slicing and slashing winds.

' _I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that,_ ' he thought, seeing the body of the Grimm disintegrate into a black smoke and drift away in the wind. Sure, he'd seen attacks like that before, but it was always for a _game_ , it was never real like this. That difference gave it all so much more impact, so much more weight.

For crying out loud, he just saw an arrow of condensed air and wind shred the upper body of a soulless monster that was trying to eat him in a frozen landscape amount forested mountains. How many people could really say that?

Then a Beowulf flew right past his face with its jaw and a portion of its face missing and he could've sworn the world slowed down for a moment to give him a better view. Then real time resumed and he remembered that there _were_ a few people here that could really say the same.

"Hey!" Ryou shouted, sending yet another Grimm flying with a punch that literally seemed to come out as fast as a pistol shot. "Quit standing around and come on, it's not much farther."

" _What's_ not much farther," asked Andrew, standing behind an Ursa with his fingers sinking into its back and grasping the spine of the struggling creature. "You still haven't explained anything at all. Where are we going?"

Ryou just rolled his eyes, not even flinching as the blond doctor ripped out the spine of the poor Grimm. "I told you, it's a surprise." He repeated, quickly bringing up a finger to silence Andrew before he could speak again. "And no, I'm not dragging you all the way out here just to prank you by flashing my ass at you."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "What, you're saying you gonna _streak_ in the snow instead? I didn't think you were _that_ crazy, but I guess I could be wrong."

Ryou just let out a forced and obviously insincere laugh at that before he turned around and started walking again, not even seeming to notice as he punched out yet another minor Grimm that tried to jump at him from the side. "Remind me why I bothered to bring you guys along again?"

"Because it would seem so sad and crazy if you were just mooning the empty air?" Andrew suggested, the slightest traces of a smile.

"FOR THE LAST TIME I'M NOT GONNA FLASH ANYBODY!"

Joshua and Andrew briefly shared a glance at that returning shout, both grinning as Ryou kept marching up ahead and they followed after him.

"So," Andrew spoke out, "where do you think we're going?"

Joshua shook his head. "No idea, but I sure hope it's worth getting dragged out into the middle of nowhere." He pulled his leather coat together, tightening his spot in it. "I'm pretty sure I would've frozen by now if it weren't for this Dust enhanced leather coat you got me. The Fire and Wind Dust sewn into it really does wonders for extreme temperatures."

"You're welcome. Although I doubt it quite compares to Winter's gift for you."

A better man would've probably tried to argue that, saying both gifts were equally great. But…..Joshua wasn't _that_ much of a better man.

Honestly, he was starting to wonder if he'd _ever_ be able to get a weapon. Andrew was having some surprising difficulty with getting one through official channels due to his civilian identity, and looking for one on the black market could've ended up with either something poorly crafted at best or an arrest at worst.

Then Winter came along and neatly destroyed that little problem due to her status as a Huntress-in-training. A weapon perfectly crafted for his Skills and what kind of character he wanted to build into.

Looking on the gauntlets covering his arms from the elbows down, the shine of the metal was bright from the light of day, like silver. Several compartments worked into the area behind the wrist holding various Dust canisters for his use, whether in melee or at range.

His admiration of the rather impressive armament was interrupted by a menacing growl from behind him, the deepness indicating it was an Ursa.

Channeling some more Aura into the weapon on his right, he activated the necessary parts to let some Fire Dust flow into the frontal portions, he turned around and dodged a swiping claw that had been swung towards his head. Then, bracing his legs and pulling his fist back, he let loose an **Uppercut** to the Ursa's upper body.

The Fire Dust exploded the moment his gauntlet impacted the Grimm, detonating in a tightly channeled explosion of heat, light, and sound as the upper body of the beast was disintegrated by the blast.

' _Damn. Killing these things has gotten so easy now._ '

Turning back away from the now disappearing monster, Joshua continued following after Ryou like it had never even happened.

"You aren't going to get the Loot Bag?"

Joshua shook his head as he walked by him. "Nah, not really any point. I probably have more money than I'll ever need, not much point in picking up what's essentially loose change at this point."

Andrew's brief "hmm" was his only response as he started walking along himself. Ryou, fortunately, hadn't gotten too far ahead, still within immediate visibility as he kept trekking up the mountain he'd led them to. "When do you think the hike will be over? I'm actually a little curious where he's leading us."

The time manipulator shrugged. "Who knows? I'm thinking he's gonna lure us to a cliff where he can push us off, but I could be wrong."

oOoOoOoOo

"A cave."

Ryou grinned at him. "Yep."

"You brought us all the way out here, in the freezing cold, in Grimm infested no man's land, to show us… a cave?"

"Yep."

Feeling his eyebrow twitch in agitation, Joshua did his level best to, yet again, hold back from punching Ryou in the face.

Barely tamping down on the nigh _irresistible_ urge, his balled and clenching fists finally managed to relax. "Why?"

A tilted head and innocent look was all he got. "Why what?"

Feeling Andrew's hand on his shoulder was the only thing that kept him from punching. The blond doctor was much more familiar and experienced with Ryou and his love of mind games, far more than Joshua would probably _ever_ be, so he wasn't quite as obviously annoyed.

"He's asking why you led us all the way out here to what looks like just some cave into a mountain for no apparent reason at all."

Ryou just kept up that same look, as if the answer was right in front of their faces without them even realizing it. "To show you what's inside. Obviously."

"The walls had better not be lined with pictures of your ass."

Joshua held back a smug grin when Ryou's face turned bright red as he started glaring death at him. "How long are you gonna keep saying that crap?"

"Probably until you stop stalling and I actually see what's inside."

The sound of rushing wind was all that broke the silence between them as Ryou and Joshua stared one another down, each waiting for the other to back down from their little staring contest as Andrew sighed in resignation.

Joshua must've been getting better at this, because Ryou was the one to blink first. "Fine," he muttered petulantly, "let's get going."

Turing around with his shoulder low in defeat, the tallest of the group entered the cave and motioned for them to join him, muttering incoherently under his breath even as he entered the blackness of the cave entrance. Moving to follow him, Joshua caught sight of Andrew looking at him as if in approval. "What?"

The doctor just looked ahead. "You're learning. Some time ago you would've probably gotten into an argument with him or caused a scene. This time you actually got him to back down. You've made progress."

Joshua reached his right hand around to rub the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. "Well, guess I can only stay around him for so long before I learn to adapt. It's really nothing that special."

"Do you have any idea how long it took for _me_ to get that used to him? You should be proud for being able to do it within even a single year at all."

Looking around in the dark tunnel, Joshua wasn't really sure where being _proud_ fit into knowing Ryou's quirks. "Yeah, well, it might take me even longer if he's really just luring us into some elaborate prank here."

He heard a smacking sound up ahead, probably from Ryou punching the head clean off some poor Grimm. Really, you would think they'd know they didn't stand a chance against him by now. "Either way, it looks like we're about to find out. Gotta admit, I'm kinda curious."

And so they continued on, following Ryou into the tunnel to parts unknown, the only sound being the occasional death of some poor Grimm to serve as a distraction from the relative monotony. A few Grimm managed to get by their unusually silent lead, but they were handled quickly.

It was another few minutes before Ryou called out "Almost there", indicating they were actually nearing their destination. A moment later and…..light?

Yes, it was light. Bright and almost blinding as it increased within Andrew and Joshua's vision, their surroundings seeming to change completely as they took one last turn and Ryou called out "We're here".

And suddenly they weren't in a tunnel anymore. No more wandering in the dark, no ambushing Grimm, no feeling around at the cold stone. They were in a cavern deep within and underneath the mountain Ryou had led them to. A cavern of…

"Trees." Joshua whispered, disbelieving as he looked around. Trees of numerous kinds, along with various shrubbery and a ground thick with green grass. And…..and…."And how is there _light_ down here? We're under a mountain, there shouldn't be _anything_ here. What's going on?"

Andrew was just as amazed, his face holding a look of open wonder that was rarely seen on the usually stoic man. Silently he walked up to one of the trees, a tall and imposing specimen that had to be at _least_ fifty years old. "A _Giant Hornbeam_. This isn't even native to the continent of Solitas. How is all this even possible?"

Ryou chose that moment to interject. "No idea. I just stumbled on this place a few years back when scouting out new turf." He pointed up, bringing their attention to the great dome of stone above them, with countless streams of bright light within it, like great currents of illumination as they shined down. "I know that the light is because of all the Dust in the rock up top, and that the water seems to flow in from some underground streams for these plants, but that's all I know."

' _This is just SOOOOOO beyond anything I expected._ ' "And you're really the _only_ one who knows this place is here?"

"Must be so," Andrew interjected, having returned to them after his quick inspection of the surrounding foliage. He pointed up to the Dust encrusted dome of stone above them, "See all that Dust? It would've been mined out some time ago if anybody else knew about it. Not to mention this place would've already been inhabited if other people knew, there's plenty of room and vegetation for it to be easily livable."

Ryou nodded, still grinning. "Yep, I'm the only guy who knows." He raised a fist up, dramatically clenching it to make a point. "That's why I claimed the place. And now you guys know about it, too. It's gonna be our little shared secret." His grin disappeared, replaced with a mildly threatening glare. "So don't tell anybody."

oOoOoOoOo

"Let me get this straight," Joshua stressed, looking at exactly what Ryou had apparently brought along in his Inventory and were now currently spread out on the ground. "You actually brought us all the way out here, to some personal hideaway, so we could essentially have a…. _dude's day out_? Am I saying that right?"

Ryou picked out a beer from the ice chest he'd brought along, slicing the top of the bottle off with a quick, sideways karate chop that seemed to cut it right off. "Yep, pretty much. Why?"

"….Well, this is just so unexpected. I mean, we're talking about _you_. Kinda unexpected for you to take us both out to this place just to have a three man chill."

Not that Joshua was ungrateful for the gesture, but it seemed so odd coming from _Ryou_ of all people. He didn't exactly mesh well in Joshua's mind with the sharing and open type that would do something like this. Granted, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he had his personality completely pegged, but still….

"Quit fretting," touted Andrew, already sitting comfortably in one of the folded chairs that Ryou had brought along. "We're here, there's drinks, and it's nice and peaceful. I say we enjoy it and relax." He turned to Ryou. "Speaking of which, I don't suppose you've-"

"Yeah, yeah," Ryou interrupted, waving Andrew off as he pulled something else from the ice chest and handing it off to him. Looked like some kind of plastic container of iced tea. "Here ya go."

"Much obliged," Andrew gratefully said back, taking the offered drink and opening the top for a quick sip. "Ah, I love the way that goes down."

Ryou scoffed at him. "Softy. I'll never get why you prefer that stuff over a good beer." He turned to Joshua, motioning at the last unfolded chair and the ice chest. "Sit down and help yourself, come on. Don't make me _push_ you into it."

Joshua just stood there, stunned at what the hell was going on. The whole situation just seemed so…. _surreal_. "I….maybe you're right," he admitted, rubbing his forehead to try and stave off the coming headache. "I'm just gonna sit down."

Moving to the unfolded chair Ryou had brought out that was still unoccupied, he took a seat and let out a massive sigh. Taking some deep breaths with his eyes closed, he slowly brought himself back to a calmer state of mind, opening his eyes to see…. A beer in front of his face, held out by a familiar hand. "Really?"

The hand in front of his face shook slightly, the beer swishing slightly in the bottle, then a reedy voice said "drink me and I'll make the headaches go away. You know you want to."

Looking at the sight ahead of his face with a mild glare, he gave in and took the beer, snapping the cap off to take a quick drink. Goodbye migraines.

"There," Ryou chimed beside him. "Now doesn't that that help your head a little?"

Tasting the alcohol flow over his tongue and down his throat, Joshua had to admit that his headache actually _did_ seem to subside a little bit. Smacking his lips slightly, he had to admit that Ryou knew good beer. "Yeah, actually. Thanks."

They sat in silence for a little while after that, the quiet peppered by the occasional sound of someone having another sip of their drink or reaching into the ice box for a new one. A simple pattern, but a peaceful one. Welcome. Nice and quiet.

But quiet never really lasts, and so it was only a matter of time till it broke. "Ryou?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you bring us here anyway?"

Ryou let out a slight growl. "If this is another lead-in to some joke…" The extended pause was the only finish he needed for the threat.

"No, it's no joke or suggestion. It's just…why did you bring us _here_? We could've done something like this anywhere, instead of just coming all the way out here for you to show us this place. Why go through all the effort?"

Ryou didn't respond for a while, just letting a silence develop which was occasionally broken as he took another drink of his beer. Finally, after a longer than usual silence, he sighed in apparent resignation. "Well….we're all stuck in this place, ain't we? Might as well have showed ya'. I mean," he scratched the back of his neck, averting his gave to look at the ground. "We're all in this shit together, right? So why _not_?"

And just like that, Joshua understood. Ryou might not have said it outright, but the message still came across. Somewhat suitably, Joshua was pretty sure he might not have gotten it just a few months ago, before he was really starting to get Ryou's little quirks and way of interacting with people. But now? Yeah, he got what Ryou was saying.

Ryou was saying they were his friends. He was saying that he was _their_ friend. That they were all in this together. All without saying or doing anything to take away from it.

With a small smile forming on his face, Joshua nodded. "Yeah. In this together."

He held out his hand with his bottle of beer, the meaning of the gesture unsaid but unmistakable.

Ryou looked at the extended bottle for a moment, seeming in confusion before a glint of realization appeared in his eye and he flashed a grin. "Right." Raising his own beer up, Ryou almost gave Andrew a glance before the doctor's own container of tea appeared beside it.

After a quick shout of "Cheers!" their drinks clanged together with a loud ring of glass and the slight bang of plastic.

oOoOoOoOo

"You're sure we need to stay here until night? It gets really cold outside when the sun goes down."

Ryou scoffed. "Don't worry about it, we've got all the stuff to handle a bit of chill. It's not like you're gonna turn into an ice statue out there, Andrew's jacket will keep ya cozy."

"Yeah, well, not to ne distrusting here, but why do you want us to stay here until after night? We've already seen how awesome this place is, haven't we?"

Ryou started shaking his head before Joshua even finished talking. "Nopenopenopenope! There's something ELSE that happens here at night. And I chose tonight because it's gonna show something _really_ special."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "You know you're just leading back to the implications of flashing your ass at us, right?"

Joshua watched with a smile as Ryou had finally gotten enough of that and got up to catch Andrew in his arm and give him a noogie, running his knuckles on the struggling man's scalp while daring him to say that again.

He couldn't help the laughter that came out at the scene, the whole thing just seemed to have brought his mood up to the highest it had ever been. "Jeez. I never thought getting stuck in this world would be such an improvement."

He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he'd expected, but Ryou suddenly quieting down and going still sure wasn't it. He just stood there like a statue, Andrew still held in place and his clenched hand resting still against his scalp.

' _Okay, that's kinda weird._ '

Andrew seemed to be of the same opinion, considering he was now wearing a rare expression of open surprise and concern. Seemed he'd never seen Ryou like this either, and he spoke up to voice his concern. "Ryou, are you alright?"

That seemed to snap the big guy out of his funk, a series of rapid blinks and a brief shiver like movement going across his body as he came back down to reality. "Y-yeah. I'm fine."

Letting Andrew go free, he looked down briefly at the bottle of beer he'd dropped, its fluid content now having splashed on and drained into the ground. He sighed bitterly. "Well, that's a waste.

Getting another beer from the ice chest, he got back into his seat and cut the top off with yet another horizontal chopping motion to the top of the bottle.

"Ryou," Joshua spoke out, trying to get the attention of the suddenly solemn man. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered a _little_ too quickly, before trying to divert further questions by downing as much of his beer as he could.

This time it was Andrew who spoke up. "Really? You're sure there's not something wrong?"

"Nothing's _wrong_ ," he insisted, putting quite a bit of stress into the words. "What he said just….brought up some memories from outside."

' _Memories from….Oooohhh._ '

Yeah, it didn't take a genius to know what he meant by that. The look he saw on Andrew's face showed he'd came to the same conclusion. "What kind of memories?"

Ryou grimaced slightly. "Not nice ones. Drop it."

Ouch. Yeah, no wonder he reacted like that. Still, it wasn't entirely surprising. The world they came from wasn't exactly a friendly one, and often seemed actively oppressive. Hell, that was less of a feeling and more of a fact.

The divide between rich and poor was almost insurmountable, with everyone lower on the totem pole generally living hand to mouth from one day to the next. They could probably make enough money to _survive_ , but certainly not enough to really have much to show for it.

That was one of the reasons World of Remnant: Online was so revolutionary to them. It was a virtual world where virtual products, actions, and even property were worth real world profit. To say nothing of how it could be used for things besides money, like attending classes on it that you couldn't afford in real life. It wasn't just a game, but a lifesaver.

And then it got shut down. Dammit.

But now he couldn't help but wonder just what Ryou must've gone through.

"Y'know," he nervously began. "Even after all this, we really don't know much about each other, do we? I mean…..none of us have said anything about how things were for us before."

Ryou almost spoke up at that, but stopped before actually saying it. Seemed he wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that, or at least he wasn't able to respond right away. He just got a slightly contemplative look on his face as he thought it over for a moment.

Then the look passed and he shook his head to shrug the whole thing off. "So? Who cares about all that?"

"I'm pretty sure _we_ do," Andrew interjected, getting Ryou's attention with a slight glare.

"Well _I_ don't. Alright?"

He tried to put some feeling of finality in the words, but he couldn't quite seem to get the strength for it that he was hoping for. After trying very hard not to look at either of them, instead constantly shifting his attention to everything else he could land his eyes on, he finally seemed to give up and let loose a sigh of frustration. "Y'know what? _Fine_! But _you've_ gotta give your stories first. Got it?"

"Deal," Joshua said in agreement, before he could say anything to take it back.

Andrew seemed mildly ticked that his choice was made for him, but he didn't do anything beyond give a quick sigh and a roll of his eyes. "Fine. Which of us is first?"

Giving out a sigh of his own, Joshua raised his hand. "I'm up, let's get it done with."

Shifting in his folded chair for a moment, he tried to get in the best state he could. His story wasn't exactly going to be pleasant, so he wanted to at least be comfortable while he was telling it. He also grabbed another beer, because what was comfort without the pleasant buzz of alcohol?

Taking a brief sip, he let a short silence form as he thought over the words to choose. Dammit, it seemed so much easier in his head, but now it seemed so much harder when he actually had to _say_ it.

Ah well, might as well just pick something to start with and roll with it.

"My family was pretty much dirt poor and half of the time I was pretty sure they didn't even want me."

The looks on their faces told him he probably started off a bit too strong. Maybe stretch it out?

"Right, details. I…first off, I was actually 24 back in the old world."

Ryou held out a hand to interrupt him. "Wait, you were 24? Then shy the hell do you look…" his eyes widened slightly as he connected the dots, then his trademark grin slowly formed on his face. "Oh, I get it. Bet you're regretting that now, huh?"

He shrugged. "Not really. Seven years isn't _that_ much of a difference. Anyways," he took another sip of his beer, getting ready for the rest. "Like I said, my parents weren't exactly well off. My dad worked as a mechanic at an auto shop and my mom….I'm not really sure _what_ she did, but she was often gone from home. Every night she came back she just looked like she felt… _guilty_ somehow. That's all I really remember, though, considering she died around when I was….I think 7?"

Andrew kept his face blank, but Ryou's flinch was much more obvious. Looks like it was sinking in.

"Anyway, I had to kick in early on in life to help keep things running. If I wasn't at school then I was doing chores around the house or trying to do odd-jobs." Joshua scrunched his eyebrows for a moment, thinking back to some moment in particular. "I remember one time when I was shining shoes for quarters, but that's just one example. Seems small, but every buck counted." He shrugged. "When I was old enough I started helping my old man out at auto shop he worked, so that really helped. I mostly did electronics work, though. I always used to take apart machines I found in the trash to find out how they worked. I eventually got a job in electronics repairs and things seemed to get stable."

A bittersweet smile settled on his face. "There were some good times, though. I remember one time when my dad and I were able to get together enough money to go out to a county fair."

Andrew gained a slightly bittersweet smile of his own at that. "Well, sounds like it wasn't _always_ so bad."

"Yeah, but those times were pretty rare. More often than not we had to spend as much time as we could working. I like to think I helped out a bit, but I doubt it was by all that much." He was quiet for a moment, staring off into the distance as if seeing into the past. "But he just seemed to get worse as the years went on. Slower, more tired. Like the world was just beating him down."

He took another drink, hoping to God that it would help with the sudden dryness in his throat. Didn't work. "Then he died. He just…..dropped dead from a stroke at work. I was just lucky we'd stored away enough money for a basic funeral or I don't know _what_ we would've done with the body. I was 18 when it happened."

He remembered the funeral, but only vaguely. Sad, right? It was his own father and he really didn't remember much beyond just _going_ to it. It felt wrong but what could he do? His dad wasn't the only one the world was beating down, and with him dead…..well, he was probably more alone than ever.

He stopped talking for a bit, letting the silence settle over them before he started talking again. "You know the weirdest thing? Probably the worst part? It's that things actually seemed to get better after he died. Just how fucked up is that?"

He took a deep breath, the air settling in his lungs before it came out in a great sigh. "World of Remnant: Online. I remember the first time I saw a commercial for it on TV and thinking 'this is too good to be true'. But, lo and behold, it turned out to be everything it said it was and more."

He took another sip of his beer, slightly grateful for the growing but otherwise harmless buzz in the back of his head. It was also doing wonders for keeping his throat from going dry.

"Things seem to turn around for a bit when that happened. I managed to scrounge up enough money to buy a really basic Full-Dive and got the game. Took a little while but I managed to start making money off of the account I had. Wasn't that much, but it was enough that I actually had some financial security for the first time I could really remember. Then…..I guess you know the rest."

He stopped talking, having said his part as far as he was concerned.

Another moment of quiet descended between the three of them, Ryou and Andrew taking a moment to really absorb what he'd just told them. It was a cliff notes version, somewhat bare bones, but it was still his past life in a nutshell.

"There's something else, though," Ryou said, apparently still curious about something.

"Yeah?" Joshua questioned, eyebrow raised.

"Remember that whole deal with the White Fang?" he asked. "And I also overheard what you said to Winter at the party. Something about how she at least got her sister _back_. What was that about?"

He couldn't keep himself from flinching slightly at that particular memory. "Oh. _That_."

It was an obvious reaction, and one with more than its fair share of negative implications. It really said something when it was _Ryou_ who spoke first. "Look, ya' don't have to tell us if-"

"-No," he interrupted. "I mean….we agreed, right? I guess it's about time you guys heard it."

Bringing his bottle up beer back up, he was mildly disappointed when he noticed no alcohol actually came out. He put the bottle on the ground and reached out for a new one, only to be surprised when he noticed that Ryou had already gotten one and was holding it out for him. "Thanks."

Taking the cap off for a quick drink, he gathered his thoughts for a moment to try and find the best way to start explaining. "It happened when I was 10. There was this other kid I knew, Kyle. Nice kid, probably a year younger than me, and we got along pretty well." He smiled slightly. "I remember some of the stuff we did in our free time, just playing around when we could arrange some time off from the usual grind. One of the only times I was really able to relax."

The memories were probably some of the better ones he had, just playing for a while and being able to forget about everything else in the world.

Turns out the world is one jealous _bitch_.

He sighed. "Then he was kidnapped."

The memories of that day came back. The worry, the fear, thinking something terrible would happen. "Turns out he shared a last name with somebody else who was pretty well off. I'm pretty sure it was just a coincidence, but who knows. Either way, the kidnappers thought he was legitimately related and decided he could be their meal ticket."

He opened his mouth to keep talking, belatedly realizing his throat seemed to have gotten a bit dry. Again. He took another drink.

 **Congratulations! Your consistent exposure to poisonous substances, you have unlocked the Skill 'Poison Resistance'.**

 **Poison Resistance (Passive) Lvl. 1 XP: 0.00%**

 **A Skill that allows the body to develop a resistance to harmful foreign substances. Become the bane of the favored tactic of assassins the world over.**

 **Passive: All Poison type Status Effects have a 10% less chance to affect the Skill possessor. In addition, the damage of all Poison type Status Effects deal 15% less damage.**

…..He was really starting to get annoyed with these sudden pop-ups.

"Anyway," he continued, quickly closing the window with a tap of his finger. "We tried getting help. Tried talking to the police, but they weren't able to help. We weren't exactly in the best neighborhood to begin with, and they were already stretched pretty thin. They said they'd keep an eye out, but that didn't mean much. The kidnappers called and made their demands, but…..well, it didn't exactly go as we'd hoped."

His eyes clouded slightly, blurring a bit until he managed to blink it away.

"The kidnappers wouldn't budge on their demands. His parents begged, pleaded with them to let their son go, saying that they'd made a mistake, swearing they'd do anything they could as long as their son could come back. Then the kidnappers stopped calling. Maybe…..maybe they finally figured out they'd made a mistake. That they'd grabbed the wrong kid."

He looked down, eyes glued to the grass beneath his feet as the last image came back to him. "We found his body a few days later. Face down in an old artificial river way. He was strangled to death."

The silence that followed his story was almost deafening in a way. People think the quiet was an absence of sound, but that could really just make it all the more oppressive. Making you wish that there was _something_ to just break the quiet somehow.

Andrew was quiet, but it was undeniably different from his usual composure. His current reticence had a definite awkward feeling to it that Joshua had never really seen in him before.

Ryou, meanwhile, was just looking down and trying to not look in his eyes. Looks like the story hit him pretty hard.

"It really hurt. A lot. I kept going over it in my head, thinking about what went wrong, how he could've come back alive, how it could've been done differently. I thought about that every day for months and thought, 'what if we'd done it like this?' It always stayed with me I guess."

He chuckled bitterly. "Never thought all that thinking on a tragedy would've been useful."

He stopped talking after that. This time, Ryou didn't ask him anything else.

He wasn't sure how long they all sat there in the growing dark, just awkwardly having their drinks as the mood resettled, but eventually Andrew cleared his throat to get their attention.

"My turn?" he said, not entirely sounding like a question. Joshua shrugged slightly, but Ryou nodded more or less in affirmation.

Resting his hands in his lap, Andrew took a moment to collect his thoughts, his expression not shifting even slightly as the memories shifted in his mind. "I guess…..it wasn't really anything too remarkable." He let out a slight tsk sound, moving an arm so the elbow rested on his leg and held his head up.

"My parents died not long after I was born, so I was left with my uncle. Not a bad man, but….decidedly firm. I'm pretty sure he had no idea how to raise a child, so we mostly stayed out of each other's way. My parents had managed to leave some money for me, but it wasn't all that much." He shifted again, switching which arm he used to support his head. "I probably had it easier than most, considering my uncle and I together were able to earn enough money to have a light financial buffer. Not much, but I think we all know that's pretty rare."

Then, to the surprise of them both, Andrew actually smiled. It was a small thing, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it, but they had both known him long enough to tell. "It wasn't too bad, really, but it seemed a little…..confining at times. We both knew we'd probably be stuck in that rut for the rest of our lives. But then…..well, that's when I got World of Remnant: Online. And then it felt like a whole new _world_ had opened up right before my eyes, full of possibilities waiting to be taken!"

He became unusually animated as he continued speaking, almost like he was trying to hold himself back from leaping out of his seat. "Then I found out how classes could be taken in it that could be used for real world applications. Medicine, law, economics, criminal sciences, _all_ of it. So, I took the opportunity."

That was when Ryou chose to interject. "Is that why you're a doctor right now? You took the classes here?"

Andrew suddenly slowed down slightly, his face taking on a slight grimace. "Well….kind of," he slowly said. "I mean, yes, I took the classes, but….while we _learned_ in here, we still needed to take the classes _physically_ in order to get our licenses to work officially in the real world. It was good for studying, but you couldn't get official certification here. At least not for the real world."

His grimace grew more pronounced, indicating he was thinking of something distinctly unpleasant. "And can you guess how much money it costed to _take_ those classes? Answer: much more than I could afford. I _might_ have been able to make the money through the game economy, but it would take _years_. So I….just got stuck as one in the game. Then it was going to shut down and I figured I might as well be there when it happened. When everything I'd done would just disappear."

His expression stayed frozen in that grimace for a moment, all the memories of that day stuck firmly in his mind. But then, gradually, it changed back into that barest hint of a smile as he turned to the two of them. "Never thought it'd end up like this. But I certainly can't complain."

"Damn right!" Ryou exclaimed, his beer-holding hand shooting up into the air so fast that the rest of his drink flew out of the top like a liquid bullet. "Aw, dammit!"

The other two shared a chuckle over his blunder, especially when he got just the slightest hint of a blush as he reached for another bottle. "Oh, you guys are _asses_."

Joshua smirked down at him. 'We learned it from _you_. You're such a good teacher."

"Shut up!"

Joshua just chuckled more at that, making Ryou clam up as his face turned even redder.

Unfortunately, the playful mood didn't last for quite as long as it could. It didn't take much time for Ryou to realize his story was next, and he seemed to slowly shrink in on himself as the realization hit home.

It was probably the most vulnerable Joshua had ever seen him before.

"Hey," he said, getting Ryou's attention. "Y'know you don't have to tell us, right? It's okay."

Ryou started shaking his head before he even finished talking. "Don't," the nervous man stressed. "You guys already told yours, I'm not backing out of it just because it ain't something happy."

They were both quiet, letting Ryou calm down and collect his thoughts, letting him do it at his own pace. It took around five minutes before he'd regained enough composure to start speaking.

"Things started pretty much as you'd expect," he began, voice heavy. "Except my family life included a little sister, Amy, so things were even tighter. She always seemed to either try and shrink in on herself or try and make herself as useful as possible, like she blamed herself for things being so tight."

Downing another swig of liquid courage, Ryou pressed on. "She always opened up around me, though. I dunno if it was because she saw something in me, did it out of wanting some sense of security, or if it was just my magnetic personality, but she stick to me like glue. It was kinda annoying at first, but…..well, she just grew on me. We looked out for each other, made each other laugh and forget that things were so bleak."

He briefly stopped talking, searching his mind for more words to say. "I managed to bring in some money, but it was rarely enough. More often than not we had debts to pay and needed to put more on top of them. And it was getting really hard to find work, so I had to go to….. _unconventional_ places to get money."

Joshua frowned. "Unconventional?"

"Yeah. Less than legal stuff." Ryou bit out a bitter chuckle. "Funny, huh? Turns out crime actually _does_ pay. Quite a bit, even." He took in a breath before slowly letting it back out. "It was mostly grunt work. Collecting money, working as hired muscle. It actually got pretty lucrative. Enough for me and my family to be in a much better place than we were. I think they knew about it, but they never really called me out. We were all pretty desperate."

Not really surprising. Ryou was by no means alone in that matter, considering how many other people often had to do some less than legal work to keep their finances in the clear. Joshua and Andrew weren't really in any place nor mood to judge him.

"It got worse when our parents died. Car crash. Died on impact. And I suddenly became the chief provider in our little family. I pushed even harder for work with bigger pay, started getting a bit of a rap sheet as I earned my bones for 'em. But at least I started getting enough money for us."

He took a swig of his beer, draining half of the bottle at once as it disappeared down his throat.

"Then I actually got into the underground fights and the money _really_ came rollin' in. Turns out people will pay a _lot_ of money to see somebody punch out someone else's teeth. I dunno if it's because the blood does a lot to get them excited or if they just like to imagine it's actually them punching out somebody they have a grudge with, but they still payed and the money came in. I was always pretty big and tough, so I became pretty popular. Hell, I punched my way straight up to being the champ!"

Ryou looked up into the great dome of stone overhead, his expression far off as the memories seemed to flow inside his mind. Then, as he started talking again, his voice seemed to gain a whole new pitch, something excited and almost manic as he recounted what happened.

"The money started rolling in and things started _better_. Amy and I moved into a nicer place, we could suddenly get _luxuries_ like quality furniture, we could eat the best food, buy almost anything we wanted. Y'know, the good life."

As he went on about how things turned around for him, Joshua couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Ryou actually had more upward mobility that he or Andrew both, something his little recounting was making very clear.

Then the jealousy faded as he realized it couldn't have lasted forever. Not if Ryou's previous reluctance was any indication. And Ryou's slowly falling expression proved he was right.

"Then one day, Amy just…fainted. Just like that, no warning, not prior symptoms, nothing. It was so _weird_. We went to get her checked out and…." he made a hiccupping sound in his throat, visibly keeping himself under control.

"She had a brain tumor. A _bad_ one. Hell, how could it _not_ have been bad? Anything to do with the brain is automatically bad news, and this was just getting started."

Ryou shuddered as a particularly bad memory came to the fore, his voice becoming almost haunted. "It was frightening. Like she was gonna disappear. I was desperate. The operation was expensive, _really_ expensive, so I threw myself into the fights as fast as I could to get the money. One guy after another, one win after another, I kept getting closer."

The words stopped coming out, like something suddenly formed in his throat and the only thing to come out was a dry, choking sound. He tried talking a few more times before stopping, instead choosing to drain the rest of his beer to try and get rid of the sudden lump in his throat.

He drank his way through _four_ beers before he could start talking again.

"Then the tumor ended up affecting her memory, making her forget. Sometimes she'd forget who I even _was_ and asking why some stranger had walked into her room. I could talk to her all day to get her to remember and she'd forget the next day. I had to keep fighting, keep _pushing_ for the money, to get her brain fixed before it could be anything permanent."

He stopped talking, just seeming to shrink in on himself as he ran an arm over his eyes to rub away the tears.

"Then I ended up pushing too hard." He hiccupped slightly, a result of the alcohol. "I got busted up in one of the fights. Busted up _bad_. I couldn't keep on fighting and…and I couldn't help her. I ended up using all the money just to keep her alive and on treatments for as long as I could. It was _hell_ seeing it happen. Seeing her slowly dying in that hospital bed, hooked up to some machine."

Joshua and Andrew said nothing as he became a hairsbreadth away from breaking down before their very eyes, looking more singularly _broken_ and vulnerable that they'd ever seen him before. It was almost painful to see the so confident man so broken.

"I visited her every day. Always checking up on her, seeing the sparkle in her eyes when she recognized me and then seeing the dull look when she forgot. Sometimes in the _same day_. Then she….." he choked up again, trying to keep himself from breaking down even worse in front of them. "One day, one when she recognized me, she grabbed my hand when I was about to leave a-and….and said she wanted me to pull the plug. _Begged_ for it. And then she just forgot me again. I-I…"

Ryou couldn't bring himself to continue after that, just downing another beer whole. Then another. And another.

In the end, he almost emptied the ice chest all on his own.

Neither of them could blame him at all.

None of them spoke as Ryou slowly calmed down and regained something resembling his attitude from before he told them his story, not even sure if they wanted to. Really, what _could_ you say after something like that? It could just feel _wrong_ somehow, like it was downplaying the reason for the oppressive silence and deserving a special judgement of some kind.

So they all just sat there in silence, under the darkening not-sky as the mood just barely seemed to be kept stable.

But, like all things, even silences came to an end.

Ryou grunted slightly, releasing a quick hiccup of air as he finally regained himself. "Guess we've all had shitty pasts, huh?"

"Yeah," Joshua agreed.

"Definitely," Andrew said likewise.

They shared a bitter chuckle barely a few seconds later. Bitter but…..somehow free. Like a collective weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

Because now they all knew.

"Y'know," Ryou began awkwardly, that little tell of scratching the back of his neck appearing again. "I can't say everything is perfect. Hell I don't know what to feel about _half_ of the shit in here, but…" he stopped, taking a deep breath as if to visibly regain his nerve. "But if there were any two losers here that I could've ended up with in here, I guess you two aren't so bad."

"…That's all we're ever gonna get out of you, isn't it?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah. Deal with it."

And then the tension just seemed to melt away, the silence vanishing as they all shared a collective chuckle that gradually turned into a shared laughter before turning into a combination of friendly verbal barbs.

The Ryou checked his watch, looking back up at the ceiling of mountain stone overhead. "Almost time."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Time for what?"

Ryou just grinned and pointed upwards. "Look up."

Up? Why. It wasn't like they could see the- "….Sky."

Yes, they were seeing the _sky_. All the stars, the vague outlines of clouds, the brighter stars of the other planets, all of it.

But _how_. They weren't out in the open, they were in a fucking _mountain_. There was no way they could be seeing the sky from here, it was just impossible. How?

Ryou seemed to expect the question. "It's the Dust in the rock of the mountain. I've got no idea how, but it doesn't just light this place up, it actually _projects_ everything from outside the mountain up in the sky above it. And you'll be seeing the rest right…about-"

A streak of light passed by, shooting through the illusions of stars and skies.

"Now."

And then the others came. Great beams and streaks of glowing light passing by and through, like a rain of white lines that rapidly passed by to shot from one side of the world to another. More and more until it looked like all the stars were falling from the night sky itself.

They were literally watching a meteor shower from beneath a _mountain_.

Ryou raised up a hand, yet another beer held within it. "How's _this_ for something awesome!? Ain't this just _full_ of great stuff?"

oOoOoOoOo 3 Days Later oOoOoOoOo

It was a little odd, really. You'd think going on that kind of adventure, sharing pasts like that and seeing someone in such a vulnerable state could change things. You'd think the mechanics would change somehow, that things would start working differently, but…..

"No," Joshua stressed over his Scroll. "I'm not interested in going along with some kinda scheme downtown with you. That's _your_ kinda trouble."

"You sure about that?" Ryou pushed on, trying hard to get him to join in. "It could be fun. Y'know, busting skulls, taking names. You getting to watch me bust skulls and take names while cheering for how awesome I am."

Really, you'd think things hadn't changed at all.

"Read my lips. No." So he hung up.

Joshua hadn't really had much to do today, so he'd largely wandered around town today and really done nothing beyond take in the sights of the day. Granted, the day mostly consisted of low temperatures and the sun barely peeking out from behind the clouds, but otherwise it wasn't really anything too bad. It was certainly beautiful, in a cold and wintery way.

He'd eventually just settled on a park bench and watching the people go by, entertaining himself by coming up with backstories for them that could be summed up in three phrases.

Man with glasses wan a suitcase? Bad eyesight at an early age, good with numbers at school, raised by a sister figure.

Woman with a really thick coat and shades? Well off from an inheritance, kinda stuck up, used to getting shat she liked.

Man wearing a trench…coat…..

'… _..Oh my God._ '

His heartbeat sped up in his chest, hoping for all it was worth that the man didn't see him as he got up from the bench and walked away. _Desperately_ prayed that he didn't notice him get down an alley and _run_ for dear life like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

A man in a tight, black trench coat, mildly tanned skin with black hair braided in a dreadlocks style and a goatee.

But it wasn't his appearance that terrified him. No.

It was what he saw _over his head_.

 **Jasper Jones**

 **For I Shall Scorch The World**

 **Lvl. 253**

 **WARNING! THIS PLAYER IS A MEMBER OF THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE CABAL! PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION!**

 **xXx**

WHEW! This was a CLOSE one, but I managed to get it out. I got a chapter out on the anniversary of Monty's death.

Here's a little something for you everybody, something is officially wrong if I'm unable to get SOMETHING out on the anniversary of Monty's death or a few days after. You can use that as a warning sign.

Anyway, onto comments for the chapter!

First off, Joshua finally got a weapon. I hope you all liked it, though I sadly wasn't able to give it much focus. Here's hoping it'll get more in the fights to come.

As for their backstories, yeah, they're all pretty sad. They lived in a futuristic dystopia, did you expect them to be happy? That's kinda counterintuitive. Either way, it's out there now.

Lastly, the ending of the chapter. I'm not gonna lie to you guys, things are about to get DARK. End of Volume 3 levels of DARK. The Slaughterhouse Cabal are REALLY bad news like you wouldn't believe. And I didn't think these guys up on a whim, they were mentioned back in the second chapter. Kudo's for the people who managed to guess that they'd be a thing later on, but I'd like to request that you keep theories like that to yourselves or on PM's from now on.

Before anyone asks about how these guys might completely usurp Salem's group as a threat, let me explain.

Yes, they're MUCH more powerful than Salem's group. Their leader in particular was one of the most powerful people in the game, and the rest of them are almost as terrifying. I was honestly a little worried about balancing for a while on how to keep Salem and her cohorts relevant.

But then "A Much Needed Talk" came out and my worries vanished. The Cabal is much more DIRECTLY powerful, but Salem's plans and the potential power she could gain at the end means she is FAR from not being a danger to the world in her own right. There's also the fact that she primarily works through manipulation from behind the scenes, and that the Cabal doesn't even know she exists at all, something she'll most certainly use. So rest assured, these guys won't be stealing the whole spotlight in the future, and Salem will most certainly still be an important threat to stop.

Now, in closing for this chapter, I'd just like to thank Monty Oum once again for making this series and inspiring me to start writing fanfiction. I never would've gotten started without him. This one's for you, Monty Oum. Wherever you are.

Review and have a nice day!


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